Police detained Luigi Mangione, 26, at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Monday as the prime suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s assassination.
The former University of Pennsylvania engineering graduate was found with evidence linking him to last week’s shooting in Manhattan.
Mangione, described as an anti-capitalist tech professional from Towson, Maryland, was found with a gun matching the murder weapon, a silencer, and four fake IDs corresponding to names used during the killer’s time in New York City, police said.
Police also recovered a manifesto criticizing the healthcare industry’s profits and practices.
Law enforcement sources told The New York Post that Mangione harbored personal grievances against the medical community over the treatment of ailing relatives. Online records show he lost grandparents in 2013 and 2017, and briefly worked in an assisted living facility while in high school.
The former Gilman School valedictorian’s online presence reveals an affinity for anti-establishment figures, including “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski, whose quotes about society and antidepressants Mangione liked on Goodreads.
The arrest follows an intense six-day manhunt after Thompson was gunned down outside the New York Hilton. Investigators found ammunition at the scene inscribed with the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” – echoing criticism of insurance industry practices.
Police traced the shooter’s escape route through Central Park, where he abandoned a backpack, to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station. The FBI had offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Mangione has not been charged, and it remains unclear if he has made any statements to police. His LinkedIn profile lists him as a data engineer at a California-based car company, though he claims Hawaii residency.
Thompson’s wife had previously told investigators her husband received threats before his death. The 50-year-old CEO was one of several UnitedHealth executives under Department of Justice investigation at the time of his murder.