Luigi Mangione charged with murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO after arrest in Pennsylvania
26-year-old Luigi Mangione was arrested by Altoona police at a McDonald's on Monday
ALTOONA, Pa. (WABC) -- Luigi Mangione faces a second-degree murder charge in New York in connection with the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to an online court docket filed Monday.
The 26-year-old was also charged with possession of a loaded firearm, possession of a forged instrument and criminal possession of a weapon, according to the docket.
The forged instrument is the fake NJ driver's license he allegedly used to check into the hostel on the Upper West Side.
Mangione remains in the custody of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections pending his extradition to New York.
The Manhattan District Attorney's office confirmed the charges. Court records explaining them will not be unsealed until Mangione appears in court in New York at a later date.
The New York charges came hours after Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
He had been identified by an employee at a McDonald's, based on photographs circulated by the police of their person of interest in what was called a "brazen, targeted" attack in Midtown Manhattan on Dec. 4.
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections released Mangione's mugshot on Monday evening.
He had been charged earlier in the day with five crimes, including carrying a gun without a license, forgery, falsely identifying himself to authorities and possessing "instruments of crime," according to the criminal complaint in Pennsylvania.
The charging document alleged that Mangione lied about his identity to police and carried the ghost gun without a license.
The gun and suppressor were "consistent with the weapon used in the murder," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said following Mangione's arrest on Monday.
Late Monday night, the Mangione family released a statement after learning of the 26-year-old's arrest.
"Unfortunately, we cannot comment on news reports regarding Luigi Mangione. We only know what we have read in the media," the statement said. "Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi's arrest. We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved. We are devastated by this news."
How authorities found Mangione
Mangione was on a Greyhound bus traveling through Altoona, 276 miles west of New York City, on Monday morning, sources said, when he got off and walked into a McDonald's where a witness recognized him from the images of the suspect circulated by police.
Officers were dispatched to the McDonalds, to respond to a report of a "suspicious male who resembled the male from a recent shooting in New York from December."
He appeared to be wearing clothing similar to what he was seen wearing in videos obtained by detectives in Manhattan, according to two law enforcement sources.
Officers located Mangione sitting in the rear of the restaurant wearing a mask and beanie. After asking him to lower his mask, the officers "immediately recognized him as the suspect from (the) New York City incident after seeing photos released of him from (a) media source," the complaint said.
"As soon as he pulled it down, we didn't even think twice about it we knew that was our guy," said Altoona Police Officer Tyler Frye.
Mangione provided officers with a fake identification that listed his name Mark Rosario. While one officer ran the ID, the other officer questioned Mangione if he had recently visited New York City, and the former Ivy Leaguer "became quiet and started to shake."
Mangione later admitted the ID was fake - telling officers "I clearly shouldn't have" - and provided officers his real name, according to the complaint.
He was promptly taken into custody and searched at the McDonalds.
For Officer Frye, who was just six months on the job, it was the arrest of his career.
"It feels good to get a guy like that off the street, especially starting my career this way. It feels great," Frye said.
Officers located a black 3D-printed pistol, 3D-printed black silencer, one loose hollow point round, and a Glock magazine with six nine-millimeter full metal jacket rounds.
How Mangione got from New York to Altoona
Authorities said they're working to trace his movements from New York City to Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he was traveling between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with stops in between, including in Altoona.
Police said they are working to develop a full sense of his timeline in Pennsylvania and how long he has been in Altoona.
Shapiro thanked the individual at McDonald's "who acted as a hero."
He also thanked the Altoona police who "acted swiftly" to apprehend Mangione.
Shapiro lamented how some online have celebrated rather than condemned Thompson's killing.
"I understand people have real frustration with our health care system," Shapiro said. "This killer is not a hero. He should not be hailed."
A UnitedHealth Group spokesperson said in a statement Monday, "Our hope is that today's apprehension 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."
Background and possible motive
Mangione was born and raised in Maryland, was the 2016 valedictorian for Gilman High School in Baltimore, and he has no prior arrest history in New York, Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny said.
He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, a university spokesperson told our sister station, WPVI-TV.
Mangione also has ties to San Francisco and Honolulu.
Mangione had a three-page handwritten document "that speaks to his motivation and mindset," Tisch said.
"It does seem that he had some ill will toward corporate America," police said.
The writings mention UnitedHealthcare by name, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
The sources described the handwriting as sloppy and included these quotes: "These parasites had it coming" and "I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done."
Mangione also had multiple fake IDs with him, including a fake New Jersey ID matching the ID the suspect used to check into a hostel in New York City before the shooting, Tisch said.
Police also recovered clothes, including a mask, "consistent with those worn by our wanted individual," Tisch said.
Police are now looking at Mangione's travel at various points across the United States and out of the county within the past year, the sources said.
Investigation back in NYC
The possible break in the case comes as NYPD diving crews planned to return to Central Park on Monday to look for any shred of evidence in the shooting death 50-year-old Thompson.
Meanwhile, new video obtained by ABC News shows the killer waiting for Thompson moments before the shooting. The video shows others pass by, and then, when the masked gunman sees Thompson, he runs across the street and opens fire.
The video, which has not previously been seen publicly, appears to support the police narrative that the shooter targeted Thompson because he loitered while others wandered by.
Over the weekend, police released new photos of the suspect while authorities revealed the backpack believed to belong to the shooter contained Monopoly money and a jacket. The backpack is currently being analyzed at a lab in Queens.
The backpack was found on Friday near the bandstand in Central Park. Eyewitness News has learned that the Tommy Hilfiger coat seen in some surveillance videos was inside.
Thompson was killed around 6:45 a.m. Wednesday outside the New York Hilton in what police described as a "brazen targeted attack." He was in town from Minnesota for his company's investor conference.
RELATED | Timeline of UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting
The Associated Press and ABC News contributed to this report.
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
