The individual who allegedly posed as an FBI agent arrived at a federal jail in New York equipped with a pizza cutter.
A pizzeria employee from Minnesota has been apprehended after allegedly impersonating an FBI agent in an attempt to secure the release of Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, from a New York correctional facility.
The unusual jailbreak attempt took place on Wednesday evening, according to a criminal complaint that was reviewed by a magistrate judge on Thursday. The suspect, identified as 36-year-old Mark Anderson of Mankato, informed Bureau of Prisons officers at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn that he was a federal agent carrying a judicial order for the prisoner’s release.
When pressed for identification, he presented a driver’s license, tossed documents at the officers, and asserted that he was armed. Authorities later discovered a barbecue fork and a circular blade, similar to a pizza cutter, within his belongings.
The criminal complaint did not specify the inmate Anderson intended to free. However, multiple media outlets, citing sources, identified the inmate as Mangione, with CNBC being the first to report this information. Anderson had reportedly traveled to New York for a job that did not materialize and was working at a Bronx-based pizzeria.
Mangione, 27, faces federal and state charges in connection with the shooting death of Thompson in December 2024. He has pleaded not guilty and could face the death penalty if convicted. The shooting has been characterized by many observers as a criminal yet unsurprising reaction to the corporatization of US healthcare, with UnitedHealthcare being singled out as particularly predatory.
The shooter has garnered a small following of individuals who support his alleged actions. Media reports suggest that Anderson may be among these supporters and could be experiencing mental health issues.