On December 4, 2024, Brian Thompson was fatally shot outside the Hilton Midtown hotel in New York City. NYPD investigators linked the murder to Mangione after identifying a fake New Jersey ID used to check into a Manhattan hostel. Video footage and other evidence placed Mangione as a person of interest in the case.
Before we unpack who is Luis Mangione, let’s make one thing clear, the 26-year-old arrested in connection with this targeted killing is not a migrant or illegal immigrant or a person of color. If you recall, a certain former candidate wanted us all to believe those aforementioned marginalized groups are the usual suspects who commit many of the heinous crimes in America. Well, surprise, surprise – Mangione, who is innocent until proven guilty has a background that spans elite education and hails from a prominent family legacy. While Mangione’s arrest may shock some, but peeling away his past reveals a mix of privilege, academic success, and expectedly some recent struggles. Still, for the most part it’s like we said – surprise, surprise.
Let’s break down just who is Luigi Mangione from various reporting …
Family Background and Early Life
Mangione was born and raised in Maryland – a coastal elite as they say – and is a member of a prominent family with ties to real estate, health care, and media in the region. His paternal grandparents, Nicholas and Mary Mangione, were real estate developers who purchased the Turf Valley Country Club in 1978 and the Hayfields Country Club in 1986. They also founded Lorien Health Systems in 1977 and operated WCBM, a Baltimore radio station.
Oh but get this, Mangione is a cousin of Maryland state Delegate Nino Mangione, who represents parts of Baltimore County. As a teenager, Luigi volunteered at Lorien Health Systems in 2014, gaining early exposure to his family’s ventures in health care.
Academic Overachiever
Mangione, was far from an underachieving lone wolf in the making. Nah, not him. He excelled academically, graduating as valedictorian from the Gilman School, an elite all-boys private school in Baltimore, in 2016. During his time there, he captained the robotics team and won a scholarship prize for his achievements in 2014.
It gets better when it comes to his higher education. Mangione went on to attend the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned both a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (majoring in computer science with a minor in mathematics) and a Master of Science in Engineering (majoring in computer and information science) by 2020. At Penn, he worked as a teaching assistant and founded a video game development club, reflecting his interest in technology and innovation.
What’s more during the summer of 2019, Mangione served as a head counselor at Stanford University’s pre-collegiate studies program in California.
A Brief Professional History
According to his LinkedIn profile, Mangione worked as a data engineer for the car-buying platform TrueCar. However, a company spokesperson confirmed to CBS News that he had not been employed there since 2023.
Former Residences … Hawaii, Though
Mangione’s last known address was in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he lived at a co-living space called Surfbreak in 2022. Surfbreak described Mangione as a former resident who left in April 2022 due to a chronic back injury aggravated by physical activity.
“We are aware that Luigi Mangione was a resident at the Surfbreak co-living’s Honolulu location in 2022,” Surfbreak said in a statement. “His alleged actions do not reflect the individual we knew, the values of Surfbreak as an organization, or our community. Reasonable people may disagree, but violence is never the answer.”
Social Media Red Flags
In recent months, Mangione’s social media activity hinted at possible discontent. His account on X (formerly Twitter) reposted the quote, “It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society,” by philosopher J. Krishnamurti, twice—most recently in January 2024. Posts tagging his account suggest that friends had been trying to contact him in the months leading up to his arrest.
Apprehension … At McDonalds?
Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania after being recognized at a McDonald’s. Police found fraudulent IDs, a gun matching the weapon used in the murder, and a handwritten document indicating his potential mindset and motivations. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch called the attack a “premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack.”
More Questions Than Answers
We told you, surprise, surprise … Mangione’s background, which juxtaposes privilege and academic achievement with a recent downward trajectory, still has added a layer of intrigue to a case that continues to unfold. Authorities are working to piece together his motivations and involvement in the high-profile murder.
Sounds like the documentary is going to be wild and the crazy part is someone is almost certainly already working on it.
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