A McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, has recently experienced a flood of negative reviews and one-star ratings. In response to this, Google intervened to delete some comments. The company believed the restaurant was the target of “review bombing” in an orchestrated attempt to overwhelm it with false reviews.
Why did this Pennsylvania restaurant gain so much attention? As it turns out, it was in this McDonald’s branch where the police arrested Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old man suspected of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Officers located Mangione thanks to a tip from a McDonald’s employee. The growing fascination surrounding the suspect led to the intense wave of negative reviews on Google. In the end, Mangione’s story goes beyond just a murder trial.
Charged With the Murder of Brian Thompson
Until recently, Mangione was one of millions of young people living an anonymous existence in the U.S. That changed when a McDonald’s employee in Altoona dialed 911 to report the striking resemblance between one of his customers, Mangione, and the photos of the alleged killer of the CEO that had been circulating for days.
The case has become one of the most talked-about stories of 2024. On Jan. 4, a gunman shot Thompson to death outside a hotel in New York City. The attack was carried out with a ghost gun, which is a firearm assembled from parts. It was reportedly created with a 3D printer, making it untraceable.
At that point, little was known about the killer except for the way they were dressed. Security cameras had also captured some vague features of their face. While scant, this information was enough to lead law enforcement to Mangione, currently the only suspect in Thompson’s murder.
When agents located him, they found that the young man was carrying a firearm and a silencer. In his bag, police officers also found forged documents, reportedly the same ones he had used weeks before in Manhattan. Additionally, he had a brief three-page manifesto that was highly critical of health insurance companies.
Mangione was arrested on the spot at the Altoona location for document forgery and possession of a firearm. Authorities first identified him as a “strong person of interest.” However, according to the BBC, he’s already been charged with the CEO’s shooting death.
From a Murder Suspect to an Internet Fascination
However, what particularly sets this case apart is the fascination–if not empathy or admiration–surrounding both Mangione and the crime he’s accused of.
One review that raised alarms on Google said, “This location has rats in the kitchen that will make you sick and your insurance isn’t going cover it.” Governor Josh Shapiro, D-Pennsylvania, quickly responded to mitigate the interest surrounding Mangione: “In some dark corners, this killer is being hailed as a hero. Hear me on this: he is no hero. The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 in the McDonald’s this morning.”
The truth is there are those who do view Mangione as a “hero.” In fact, many have used social media to express their admiration for him.
One thing was clear on the day of Thompson’s murder: It was going to be a special kind of crime. Thompson was the CEO of one of the largest insurance companies. As a result, the incident quickly ignited anger among social media users who criticized the U.S. healthcare system. It didn’t matter whether the killer’s motive was personal or not. Users had already determined there was an ideological component to the murder.
“Today, we mourn the death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, gunned down.... wait, I’m sorry - today we mourn the deaths of the 68,000 Americans who needlessly die each year so that insurance company execs like Brian Thompson can become multimillionaires,” Anthony Zenkus, a professor at Columbia’s School of Social Work, shared in an X post just hours after the incident.
Many took to social media to share their traumatic experiences with insurance companies. One mother explained the obstacles she faced with UnitedHealthcare during a critical moment. She was alone in a hospital, about to give birth, while urgently needing to assist her other son, who required brain surgery.
As the news of the murder unfolded, the media gathered clues about the gunman while also highlighting issues such as the high turnover in the insurance industry and the quality and cost of healthcare in the country. “Brian Thompson’s killing inspired rage – against the healthcare industry,” The Guardian reported.
The case soon took on a symbolic significance. A day after the murder, police described it as a “premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack.” Authorities also reported that the bullets recovered from the crime scene had three words written on them: “deny,” “defend,” and “depose.” This could be a reference to how insurance companies typically respond to customer claims.
Interestingly, two of these terms are part of the title of Jay Feinam’s Dely, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It.
Who Is Luigi Mangione?
The security camera images capturing part of the face of Thompson’s alleged killer were soon made public. Shortly after, the identity behind the face became known. Because of this, Internet users have had access to photographs of Mangione’s private life and some background information. It’s been revealed that he’s 26, hails from a wealthy family in Maryland, has lived in Hawaii, and is a fan of video games.
Additionally, it’s come to light that he received an expensive education and was an outstanding student at the Gilman School. He also studied engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. He worked for a car buying and selling website, although his former managers have clarified that Mangione left the team last year.
However, what has really caught people’s attention are his social media profiles. For instance, on Goodreads, he gave a four-star rating to Industrial Society and Its Future by Ted Kaczynski. Better known as the “Unabomber,” Kaczynski was infamously known for sending letter bombs between the 1970s and 1990s.
“It’s easy to quickly and thoughtless write this off as the manifesto of a lunatic, in order to avoid facing some of the uncomfortable problems it identifies. But it’s simply impossible to ignore how prescient many of his predictions about modern society turned out,” Mangione said in his Goodreads review.
“He was a violent individual–rightfully imprisoned–who maimed innocent people. While these actions tend to be characterized as those of a crazy luddite, however, they are more accurately seen as those of an extreme political revolutionary,” he added.
The books he read, his family background, and his friendships have attracted the attention of both media worldwide and officers investigating the murder of Thompson.
They’re focusing on two specific aspects. First, six months ago, Mangiore reportedly severed his ties with both friends and family. Second, he suffers from a painful back problem that seems to have altered his life significantly, according to sources consulted by Fortune.
Images of Mangiore circulating on social media depict him as an athletic and handsome young man in excellent physical shape. In fact, one of the most widely shared photos shows him shirtless, tanned, and flaunting his muscular torso and arms.
The fascination surrounding the Mangiore case isn’t unprecedented. Other notorious cases that have garnered cult status in the U.S. Examples include Charles Manson, who has become an idol in certain circles; Ted Bundy, who reportedly received letters from female admirers while in prison; and Chris Watts.
Unlike many of these figures, Mangione isn’t a serial killer, but interest in him and his appearance has surged since his name and photos became public.
An X account under his name, created in April 2016, has already attracted more than 390,000 followers at the time of publication. His posts have been filled with messages of support and even admiration. Some fans have shown off tattoos of his hooded face, while others are promoting the hashtag #FreeLuigi to increase his visibility on X.
Image | NYPD
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