The suspect wanted in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in NYC was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania on Monday.
Thompson, 50, was gunned down on a sidewalk outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan on December 4.
On Monday morning, a McDonald’s employee called 911 after she noticed a man “sitting there eating” who resembled the suspect in photos released by NYPD.
Police in Altoona took her call seriously. They arrived and observed the person of interest who had distinct eyebrows like the suspect.
The man carried a Maryland driver’s license that identified him as 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, a high school valedictorian and computer geek from Towson, Maryland.
Police searched Mangione and found a gun similar to the one used to kill Thompson. He had multiple fake IDs and a U.S. passport on him.
Officers also found a “manifesto” on him. The manifesto criticized healthcare companies for prioritizing profits above healthcare.
“At this time, he is believed to be our person of interest in the brazen, targeted murder of Brian Thompson,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said on Monday. “The suspect was in a McDonald’s and then recognized by an employee who then called police. Responding officers questioned the suspect, who was acting suspiciously and was carrying multiple fraudulent IDs as well as a U.S. passport.”
Mangione graduated as valedictorian from the Gilman Prep School in Baltimore, where he played soccer, according to the New York Post.
Tuition at the all boys prep school is currently more than $37,000 a year.
“We recently became aware that the person arrested in connection with the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO is a Gilman alumnus,” the school’s principal Henry P.A. Smyth wrote in a letter, according to the Washington Post. “This is deeply distressing news on top of an already awful situation. Our hearts go out to everyone affected.”
Authorities believe Mangione’s frustration with insurance companies grew from his own personal experience with UnitedHealthcare.
He posted an X-ray image on his X (Twitter) account that shows surgical screws in his sacral spine from a sports injury to his lower back.
Mangione is from a wealthy Baltimore family. His cousin is a Maryland state delegate.
He left a treasure trove of evidence behind in New York City, including his $300 Peak Design backpack which contained Monopoly money and a jacket. The backpack was found in Central Park in an area that had already been searched by police 3 days earlier.
Reddit users theorize that the Monopoly money symbolizes the monopoly that UnitedHealthcare holds over pharmacies, hospitals and clinics.
The shooting sparked a backlash against UnitedHealthcare and other insurance companies that deny healthcare claims to boost profits for their shareholders.
Mangione became a folk hero and a sex symbol to women all over the country.
One fan on Reddit wrote: “He flirted with a chick, flashed a historic smile, killed a CEO, left some Monopoly money and got away with it. I’m so hot for this dude.”
Another person wrote, “Get in line sister.”
A third person wrote: “I was hoping he would date my daughter.”
Grandmothers on X (formerly Twitter) offered the suspect home cooked meals and a warm place to sleep while he was on the run.
Mangione will be extradited to back New York to stand trial.
