Luigi Mangione, an anti-capitalist Ivy League graduate, was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Monday in connection with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, sources told the New York Post.
Mangione, 26, was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, a five-hour drive from where the shooting took place in Manhattan. When apprehending Mangione, police uncovered a gun, silencer, four fake IDs, and additional items that were consistent with the suspect they had been seeking. He also had a manifesto on him when he was taken into custody that appeared to list grievances against the health care industry, the Post reported.
One of the fraudulent IDs found on Mangione matched the New Jersey ID used to check into a New York hostel before the shooting, authorities said during a Monday press conference.
Mangione, a Maryland native, has subscribed to anti-capitalist and climate-change causes and liked online quotes from "Unabomber’’ Ted Kaczynski ranting against the U.S. health care system, according to law enforcement officials, citing his online activity. Mangione graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a masters of science in engineering in 2020, according the Post.
Police believe Thompson's shooter acted alone, officials said during the press conference.
Thompson was shot just before 7 a.m. on Wednesday in a "brazen targeted attack" outside a Midtown hotel where his company was holding an investors meeting. Thompson’s killer escaped on an electric Citi Bike, investigators said. The NYPD announced Friday that the suspect had likely fled New York City.
Police said Thompson’s shooter was "lying in wait" for several minutes before he gunned down the CEO. "Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target," officials added.
The killer’s bullets found at the scene appeared to have the words "deny," "depose," and "defend" written on them, a message that mirrors the title of a book that denounces the health care insurance industry, the Post reported.
Thompson’s wife said on Wednesday that her husband had been receiving threats before he was killed.