At a Monday press conference, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that a “strong person of interest” was arrested in connection to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO and University of Iowa alum Brian Thompson last Wednesday in Midtown Manhattan.
The suspect, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Monday morning.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Mangione was “acting suspiciously” in the restaurant, prompting an employee who recognized him from widely circulated suspect photos to alert police.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny said Mangione was sitting in the McDonald’s eating when police arrived.
“Members of the Altoona PD responded to the call and, based on their investigation, they notified the NYPD,” Kenny said.
Tisch said Mangione was found with multiple fraudulent IDs, including a New Jersey ID matching the one the suspect used to check into a New York City hostel before the shooting, as well as a face mask consistent with the one the suspect was seen wearing on surveillance footage.
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Additionally, Mangione was in possession of a gun and suppressor that matched the weapon used in the murder. Kenny said the weapon was a “ghost gun,” or an untraceable, homemade firearm, which might have been made using a 3D printer.
Mangione was arrested in Altoona on gun charges and will be extradited to New York City to face murder charges, Kenny said. Tisch said detectives from the NYPD are currently on their way to Altoona to interview Mangione.
Mangione was also found with a three-page handwritten document. Kenny said the document, now in the possession of the Altoona Police Department, may shed light on the suspect’s motive for the killing.
“It does seem that he has some ill will towards corporate America,” Kenny said.
Mangione was reportedly born and raised in Maryland, had ties to San Francisco, and listed his last known address in Honolulu, Hawaii. Investigators suspect he may have attended college in Pennsylvania, according to Kenny.
“We believe at this point, our investigation is leaning towards he was acting alone,” Kenny said.
Kenny emphasized that the investigation remains active and ongoing, with investigators planning to scrutinize Mangione’s social media activity and trace his movements from New York City to Altoona in the days following the shooting.
Tisch credited the widespread distribution of the suspect’s photo, released by the NYPD after the shooting, as a crucial factor in locating him.
“This case, which captured the attention of an entire nation, is another example of how connected we are and how important it is to work together, share information, and pursue every lead,” Tisch said.
The victim, Brian Thompson, was a 1997 UI valedictorian and accomplished scholar who had served as the CEO of UnitedHealthcare since 2021.