Brian Thompson murder: How the manhunt led to an arrest

NEW YORK CITY - The murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson sent shockwaves through the financial and corporate world when he was gunned down on a Manhattan sidewalk on Dec. 4, 2024. 

Brian Thompson murder

The backstory:

The shooting took place on Dec. 4, 2024, outside the New York Hilton Midtown, where UnitedHealth Group was holding an investor conference.

The gunman fled the scene, setting off a five-day nationwide manhunt. Authorities reviewed surveillance footage, traced the suspect’s movements across multiple states, and ultimately arrested 26-year-old Luigi Nicholas Mangione in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

What is known about the suspect’s escape

Timeline:

Authorities say the gunman acted alone, arriving in New York via bus on Nov. 24, nearly two weeks before the shooting. Surveillance footage showed him scouting the Hilton hotel area in the days leading up to the attack.

• Dec. 4, 6:44 a.m. – Thompson is shot outside the Hilton Midtown.
• 6:48 a.m. – The suspect flees on a bicycle, entering Central Park.
• 7:04 a.m. – He is seen getting into a taxi, heading toward the George Washington Bridge.
• Later that morning – Investigators believe he left New York on a bus, escaping the city undetected.

Authorities struggled to track his movements after he left Manhattan, but forensic evidence—including a fingerprint on a Starbucks water bottle—helped confirm his identity.

Luigi Mangione arrested

What we know:

After days of combing through security footage and analyzing forensic evidence, police released images of the suspect, named Luigi Mangione, to the public. On Dec. 9, a McDonald’s employee in Altoona, Pennsylvania, recognized Mangione from the widely circulated photos and called 911.

Local officers responded quickly, taking Mangione into custody. Authorities say he appeared visibly nervous and was carrying a firearm believed to be the murder weapon. New York police were immediately notified, and Mangione was flown to Manhattan later that day aboard an NYPD helicopter.

A customer at the Altoona McDonald’s where Mangione was arrested said a friend had pointed him out before police arrived. "It started out almost a little bit like a joke, my one friend thought he looked like the shooter," the customer, who declined to be named, told reporters. Law enforcement sources said the tipster recognized Mangione's distinctive eyebrows from the suspect images released by police.

According to court documents, Mangione was sitting at a table in the back of the restaurant, wearing a blue medical mask and using a silver laptop, with a backpack on the floor beside him. In photos obtained by FOX 5 NY, he appeared to be eating hashbrowns.

Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks said in court that Mangione was carrying a passport and $10,000 in cash, including $2,000 in foreign currency. Mangione disputed the amount, but prosecutors also noted he had a box of masks with him at the time of his arrest.

Authorities also recovered a three-page handwritten document, which NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said expressed "ill will toward corporate America." Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch added that the writings provide insight into both Mangione’s motivation and state of mind leading up to the attack.

What we don't know:

Investigators are still working to determine Mangione’s motive. While he reportedly harbored hostility toward corporate America, authorities have yet to establish whether he had any personal connection to Brian Thompson or if the attack was planned with a specific target in mind.

Another lingering question is how Mangione funded his movements. He was last known to be living in Hawaii but had no recent employment records. Authorities are looking into how he managed to travel across multiple states and sustain himself while on the run.

Additionally, investigators have not identified any accomplices, but they continue to examine whether Mangione had outside support or assistance in executing his escape.