Craig Melvin Addresses 'TODAY' Show Intruder on Air Day After Shocking Incident

Craig Melvin -- live on air -- has addressed the shocking "TODAY" show incident that saw a man bypass security and lunge at the NBC host while spewing a racial slur.

Craig briefly brought up the scary situation during Friday's broadcast, saying the man was "thankfully" apprehended quickly, and he and his colleagues are fully cooperating with the New York City Police Department as the investigation continues.

He added, "We are just very happy everyone is safe."

TMZ broke the news about the intruder yesterday -- law enforcement sources told us the crazed individual originally planned to confront Al Roker but turned his attention to Craig once Al was nowhere to be found.

The man, identified as Andrew Truelove, has since been arrested and is now facing a bunch of hate crime charges, such as hate crime burglary, hate crime menacing, hate crime criminal trespass, and harassment charges.

We also learned he has a lengthy rap sheet, including a felony criminal mischief case involving damage to multiple vehicles.

The security guard who let Truelove slip through the cracks has been fired ... according to sources with direct knowledge.