Ivy League Graduate Arrested in Murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO
Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, has been arrested and charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, five days after the fatal shooting outside an investors’ conference in Midtown Manhattan, CNN reports.
Mangione was apprehended Monday morning at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, some 230 miles from the crime scene.
The arrest followed an intensive five-day manhunt involving the NYPD, the FBI, and Pennsylvania State Police. Authorities pored over thousands of hours of video footage and pursued hundreds of leads before a McDonald’s employee recognized Mangione from released surveillance images and contacted police.
Upon arrival, officers found Mangione wearing a mask and beanie. He initially provided a false identification, but subsequently admitted his true identity. A search of his backpack revealed a 3D-printed pistol with a silencer, a loaded Glock magazine, a fraudulent New Jersey ID, and a handwritten document described by police as a “manifesto.”
The document, according to law enforcement sources, expressed animosity towards corporate America, containing lines such as “These parasites had it coming” and “I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done.” While the manifesto didn’t specifically name Thompson, it referenced UnitedHealthcare as a large corporation.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated that the recovered weapon was consistent with the murder weapon, a “ghost gun” capable of firing 9mm rounds. Other items recovered included clothing consistent with that worn by the suspect in surveillance footage.
Mangione, who has a background in computer science and mathematics, graduated from the prestigious Gilman School in Baltimore and the University of Pennsylvania. His family, in a statement released through his cousin, Maryland state delegate Nino Mangione, expressed shock and offered prayers to the Thompson family.
Pennsylvania State Police indicated Mangione had been in the state for several days, frequenting various businesses. The investigation is ongoing, with authorities analyzing a significant amount of recovered evidence. This includes investigating the potential meaning of words – “Deny,” “Defend,” and “Depose” – inscribed on shell casings found at the scene, potentially linking to a 2010 book critiquing insurance industry tactics. Authorities are also still searching for an electric bike seen in surveillance footage.
New York Mayor Eric Adams praised the “good old-fashioned police work” that led to the arrest, highlighting the crucial role of the alert McDonald’s employee. UnitedHealth Group released a statement thanking law enforcement and expressing their hope that the arrest brings some relief to Thompson’s family.
