Police said a 26-year-old man has been arrested in Pennsylvania on local charges and has been identified as a person of interest in the deadly shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City last week.
New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed Altoona police arrested Luigi Mangione. He is believed to be “our person of interest in the brazen, targeted murder of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, last Wednesday in Midtown Manhattan," Tisch said during a briefing.
Mangione was arrested at around 9 a.m. at a McDonald’s in Altoona, about 280 miles from New York City. He was recognized by an employee who then called police, according to officials.
Mangione was carrying a gun, silencer and a fraudulent New Jersey I.D. with a name on it consistent with the one the suspect used to check into a hostel on Nov. 24, Tisch said. Officers also recovered clothing and a mask "consistent with those worn by our wanted individual."
Mangione has not been charged in connection with the shooting as of 3 p.m. Monday, nor was he officially named as a suspect. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said Mangione will be facing gun charges in Altoona, and potential extradition back to New York City will be worked out with the district attorney's office.
New York Mayor Eric Adams called Mangione a "strong person of interest" at a briefing Monday afternoon.
Mangione was born and raised in Maryland, police said, and lived in San Francisco and Hawaii. A person with the same name went to a private high school in Baltimore, the New York Times reported. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020 with a degree in engineering, the Philadelphia university confirmed.
Kenny said Mangione was in possession of a “ghost gun,” which may have been made using a 3-D printer, that was capable of firing 9mm rounds.
Kenny said Mangione was also carrying a three-page handwritten manifesto. He wouldn’t say if it mentioned Thompson by name, or UnitedHealthcare, but noted police don’t see any threats to others.
“It does seem that he has some ill will toward corporate America,” Kenny said.
Kenny also credited a photo police released of the suspect’s face as the key to capturing Mangione.
Thompson was killed early in the morning Dec. 4 outside a hotel in Midtown Manhattan after being shot in the back and right calf on the way to address a meeting of investors. He was declared dead at a hospital.
The attacker fled into Central Park, and police have been searching for a suspect ever since. They found a backpack Friday in Central Park that they said the killer discarded as he fled the area. Officials have said they believe he left the city on a bus on the day of the shooting.
Authorities have collected and tested DNA evidence, including a discarded water bottle and protein bar wrapper, discovered near the scene. The police say they believe the suspect used a fake ID when staying in the city overnight.
The FBI also joined the investigation, offering up to $50,000 for information leading to the gunman’s arrest and conviction, according to the FBI’s field office in New York City.
On Monday, a UnitedHealth Group spokesperson released a statement responding to news of the arrest, saying they hope the arrest "brings some relief to Brian’s family, friends, colleagues and the many others affected by this unspeakable tragedy. We thank law enforcement and will continue to work with them on this investigation. We ask that everyone respect the family’s privacy as they mourn.”
Updated at 3:49 p.m. EST
