Witness says he saw UnitedHealthcare CEO suspect Luigi Mangione at McDonald's: "Boy, wouldn't that be something"
NEW YORK -- As law enforcement learns more about Luigi Mangione, the man charged in UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's murder, one witness says he saw the suspect before his arrest at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania on Monday.
The witness, named Larry, said he didn't realize it was Mangione, but his friends pointed out the resemblance to the then-person of interest. He said they're regulars at the restaurant, which is located about 300 miles away from the crime scene in Manhattan.
"A guy came in the door, and I didn't really look at him, I thought everyone was kidding around. The one guy said, 'That looks like the shooter from New York,'" Larry, who declined to give his last name, told CBS News New York's Ali Bauman. "We just went on about our business, but we were kidding about it, like boy, wouldn't that be something."
The man said Mangione placed his order and then walked to the back of the fast food restaurant. Photos from Pennsylvania State Police show the suspect eating what appears to be a hashbrown with his mask lowered.
"I went to the restroom, and he was sitting in the back. But I thought it was one of the employees, because they go back there on break and they put their hoods up, and he was in the corner with his hood up," Larry said.
"'He's the guy from New York'"
Larry said his friend who noted the resemblance said the suspect was wearing a backpack and had his hood up.
"He said he looked almost identical, but he said, 'I didn't get a good look at the front of him,' he said it was more of a side view," said Larry.
He said a worker who took the suspect's order also recognized him.
"She said between his eyes and his eyebrows, she said, 'When I took his order, it was like,' she had in her mind, 'Oh my god, he's the guy from New York,'" he said.
Larry added he wasn't there when police took Mangione into custody.
"I left and went to church, but then I started hearing, 'Oh my god, they arrested this guy at McDonald's.' So then, I came back," he said.
He said he wasn't the one who alerted staff to call police, but he was later interviewed by investigators.
"It's unbelievable. I kept thinking about it all day yesterday, how can that be? Here we are this little town, and you just don't know, you never know, I guess," he said. "I guess I'm a little bit surprised, because of where we're at. But I'm not really surprised, just the way the world is right now, pretty crazy."
Mangione was taken into custody at the McDonald's and later charged with murder in Thompson's killing outside a New York City hotel last week. The 26-year-old appeared in court Tuesday, where he contested his extradition to New York and was denied bail.
The McDonald's has since hired private security after employees told police they're worried about their safety. The Altoona Police Department has been receiving multiple emails and calls, including death threats, since the arrest.
