Luigi Mangione, person of interest in fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, caught with manifesto, ghost gun and fake ID at McDonald’s
A 26-year-old seething anti-capitalist was nabbed Monday in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson — busted while chowing down at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa., cops and sources said.
The sensational capture of Ivy League grad Luigi Nicholas Mangione — sparked by an eagle-eyed McDonald’s worker who recognized him and called the cops — capped a dayslong interstate manhunt.
“We should never underestimate the power of the public to be our eyes and our ears in these investigations,’’ NYPD Commish Jessica Tisch said at a press conference.
Mangione, originally from Towson, Md., was caught with a 3D-printed ghost gun, loaded Glock magazine, hollow-point bullet ?— and a manifesto that said, “These parasites simply had it coming,’’ cops and law-enforcement sources said.
His motive is believed to be tied to the behemoth US healthcare industry’s treatment of a sick relative or even himself, sources said.
The tech ace and onetime prep-school valedictorian was taken into custody by local cops after the worker at the fast-food joint called 911 Monday morning, authorities said.
“He was sitting there eating,’’ NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters of Mangione.
Mangione was wearing a blue medical mask and “a beanie’’ and staring at his silver laptop on the table, with a backpack on the floor next to him, when two Altoona cops approached him, authorities said.
The officers asked him to take off his mask — and immediately confirmed he was the sought-after slay suspect, officials said.
The officers asked for ID, and Mangione produced a fake New Jersey driver’s license with the name “Mark Rosario” from an apparently nonexistent address in Maplewood.
It turned out to be the same bogus driver’s license used by the suspected killer at a New York City hostel during his murderous stint, sources and police said.
When the Altoona cops asked Magione “if he had been to New York recently, the male became quiet and started to shake,’’ according to court documents.
Mangione eventually told the officers his real name and then asked why he lied about it, he replied, “Clearly, I shouldn’t have.’’
The suspect was held on weapons charges and lying raps — as authorities continue to build their murder case against him.
He was arraigned Monday night in Altoona and held without bail.
The University of Pennsylvania grad was found with items including the gun “consistent with those used in the murder,’’ Tisch said.
He also was caught with a passport, other fake IDs and a face mask like the one seen in chilling surveillance images of the killer before and after the slaying, officials said.
“At this time, he is believed to be our person of interest in the brazen, targeted murder of Brian Thompson,’’ Tisch said at a press conference.
The suspect says on social media that he graduated from Penn with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in tech, and developed a gaming app. He previously attended the Gilman School, a pricey all-boys prep high school in Baltimore, according to online publications.
He says on his LinkedIn that he works as a data engineer at a car company based in California. Cops said he grew up in Maryland but that his last known address was in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The manifesto found on Mangione mirrored quotes he posted on his Goodreads account from the late Ted Kaczynski, the infamous “Unabomber’’ who terrorized the country for nearly two decades by planting deadly bombs before he was nabbed in 1996, sources said.
“Science fiction It is already happening to some extent in our own society,” the quote said. ”Instead of removing the conditions that make people depressed modern society gives them antidepressant drugs.”
The manifesto found with Mangione said the alleged killer acted alone and was “self-funded,’’ sources said.
In addition to raging against the country’s healthcare system, Mangione was described by law-enforcement sources as an anti-capitalist who veered against Big Oil and was sympathetic toward the climate crisis, based on his online writings.
What we know about the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
- Brian Thompson, the CEO of insurance giant UnitedHealthcare, was gunned down Wednesday outside a luxury Midtown hotel in a “brazen, targeted attack,” police said.
- Thompson was named CEO of UnitedHealth in April 2021. He joined the company in 2004. He was one of several senior executives at the company under investigation by the Department of Justice.
- Thompson’s wife, Paulette, said her husband had been getting threats before he was killed.
- Thompson’s shooting led to sick support online, and even spurred a tasteless lookalike competition in NYC.
- A person of interest has been nabbed by police officers inside a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa.
- The suspect has been identified as Luigi Mangione, 26, originally from Towson, Md. He’s an Ivy League graduate who hated the medical community.
Follow along with The Post’s live updates on the news surrounding Brian Thompson’s murder.
Mangione’s bust ended a massive manhunt for the masked shooter who lay in wait outside the Hilton on Sixth Avenue where Thompson, 50, was set to speak at an investor’s conference Wednesday morning.
The chillingly efficient gunman snuck behind Thompson on the sidewalk, pulled out what appeared to be an animal tranquilizer gun with a silencer and calmly unloaded multiple shots at the CEO’s back, shocking surveillance footage showed.
Thompson dropped to the ground as he was hit in the back and right calf, with the gunman quickly running off before grabbing an e-bike and riding away.
The mortally wounded CEO was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
His funeral was set to be held Monday in Minnesota, where he lived.
Thompson’s execution prompted a massive manhunt and a steady drip of sometimes bizarre clues and revelations.
The shooter’s bullets found at the scene appeared to have the words “deny,” “depose” and “defend” written in marker on them — echoing the title of a book condemning the healthcare insurance industry’s practice of not paying claims.
Video uncovered during the investigation also revealed the suspected killer’s smiling face, as well as his connection to the Upper West Side hostel, where he is believed to have stayed before the murder.
Tisch previously told reporters that the shooter intentionally targeted Thompson — a father of two sons, whose wife said had been the target of recent threats over his job — as witnesses milled around the hotel.
“Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target,” she said at the time.
Mangione’s mother reported him missing Nov. 18, from possibly a home in San Francisco, sources said.
The FBI put up a $50,000 reward as it entered the investigation into tracking down the killer.
It’s unclear where he was between the slaying and his capture, but sources said Monday that he’d also been in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, at least partly traveling around by bus but also potentially the SEPTA train.
Thompson’s wife, Paulette “Pauley” Thompson, 51, said that before the shooting, the family had received threats relating to her husband’s job leading America’s largest private insurer, NBC News reported.
“There had been some threats,” she said, according to NBC. “Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”
Law-enforcement sources confirmed to The Post that UnitedHealthcare had told investigators about threats made against Thompson.
“Our hope is that today’s apprehension brings some relief to Brian’s family, friends, colleagues, and the many others affected by this unspeakable tragedy,’’ a UnitedHealthcare rep told The Post in a statement.
“We thank law enforcement and will continue to work with them on this investigation. We ask that everyone respect the families privacy as they mourn.”
After Monday’s arrest, Mayor Eric Adams told reporters that the McDonald’s worker “did something we ask every American to do.
“If you see something, say something and do something,” the mayor said.
Authorities said they received hundreds of tips over the past few days about potential information regarding the killer.
“For just over five days … investigators combed through thousands of hours of video, followed up on hundreds of checks, and processed every bit of forensic evidence DNA, fingerprints, IP addresses and so much more to tighten the net,’’ Tisch said.
“This combination of old-school detective work and new age technology is what led to this result today.
“The images that we shared with the public were spread far and wide, and the tips we received led to the recovery of crucial evidence,’’ she said.
Underscoring the gravity of the case, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry personally went to Altoona on Monday along with a phalanx of department detectives and members of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Thompson was promoted to CEO of UnitedHealthcare in 2021, where he earned nearly $10 million the next year, according to the Economic Research Institute.
The shooting sent the investors’ conference, which Thompson was due to speak, into a panic, with witnesses saying the attendees left in shock and tears.
The UnitedHealth Group released a statement expressing shock at Thompson’s death.
“Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him,” the statement reads.
Flags at the company’s corporate headquarters in Minnetonka, Minn., were flown at half-mast on Wednesday.
“This is horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health care community in Minnesota.” Gov. Tim Walz said in a statement. “Minnesota is sending our prayers to Brian’s family and the UnitedHealthcare team.”
–Additional reporting by Ronny Reyes, Amanda Woods, Aneeta Bhole, Craig McCarthy, Larry Celona and Zoe Hussain
