Masked Gunman Who Killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Caught After Tip-off in Pennsylvania McDonald’s
The investigation into the murder of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, Brian Thompson, took a dramatic turn when police arrested 26-year-old Luigi Nicholas Mangione in Pennsylvania five days after the crime.
Thompson was shot in midtown Manhattan as he walked to a hotel for an investor conference, with authorities quickly deeming the attack targeted. Police launched an extensive investigation, utilizing surveillance footage, DNA analysis, fingerprints, and a city-wide search, while an alert McDonald’s customer in Altoona, Pennsylvania, helped identify Mangione after spotting him in security photos.
Mangione, an Ivy League graduate and member of a prominent Maryland real estate family, was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona. Police discovered Mangione sitting at a table with a laptop and wearing a medical mask. When questioned, Mangione became nervous, and upon removing his mask, officers recognized him as the suspect. He initially provided a fake ID, and was found carrying the same firearm used in Thompson’s murder, along with a passport and fraudulent IDs. Additionally, Mangione had a handwritten document expressing disdain for corporate America, in which he claimed to have acted alone and apologized for the violence, calling corporate leaders “parasites.”
Mangione was initially charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery, and providing false identification. By the end of the day, Manhattan prosecutors had added a murder charge. Authorities are seeking his extradition to New York.
The investigation revealed that Mangione had fled New York City after the shooting, traveling through Pennsylvania while attempting to remain low-profile. Surveillance footage from the crime scene showed the shooter waiting for Thompson before approaching and shooting him with a 9mm pistol. Investigators also found ammunition marked with phrases that criticized the insurance industry, suggesting the crime may have been politically motivated.
Mangione comes from a wealthy background and was once a standout student, graduating valedictorian from his Baltimore prep school before earning degrees in computer science from the University of Pennsylvania. He briefly worked at the car-buying website TrueCar and lived in a shared space in Honolulu, where he was known as a “great guy” with no signs of troubling behavior.
Authorities were able to connect Mangione to the crime through a combination of old-fashioned detective work and modern technology, including extensive use of surveillance footage and public appeals for information. Mangione’s arrest is a result of both high-tech tools and a vigilant public, with police crediting the McDonald’s customer who recognized him from the media images.
