Man Jumps Plaza Barricade During “Today” Show

A man briefly disrupted the "Today" show Tuesday when he jumped a barricade on the plaza in Rockefeller Center while the hosts were live on the air.

He was tackled by police and private security, and was considered an "emotionally disturbed person,"  Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said.

Anchors Meredith Vieira and Al Roker did not speak to the man at the time but discussed the scare on the show later in the morning.

"Well, we're certainly awake now. Boy," Vieira said.

Roker said the man was shouting that he was "'God's gift to music' or 'I've got God's gift'" as he hurled himself into the fenced-off area.

"Today" spokeswoman Megan Kopf said the situation was "quickly handled by our security and the NYPD."

Vieira said the hosts were lucky that police and security were there.

"So they were able to get him down on the ground very quickly," she said.

The police commissioner said the man was taken to a hospital and was being processed. It was not clear whether he would face charges.

Contact Us