No, the suspect who shot the CEO of UnitedHealthcare wasn't caught using a fake ID at McDonald's

On December 9, 2024, after police in Altoona, Pennsylvania took 26-year-old Luigi Nicholas Mangione into custody as a suspect in the December 4 shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City, word spread in According to a rumor on social media, he was caught after trying to buy food at a McDonald's restaurant using a fake ID.

For example, the @DailyLoud account posted on

A user replying under the post asked: “Why should you have to show ID at McDonalds? Has he applied for a job?” Another person also replied: “MeI'm so confused. Why show ID at McDonald's?” Many other people asked the same question.

Another user posted (archived) a quote and screenshot, both from a New York Post article, that said “He got arrested while trying to possibly use a fake ID at McDonald's.” I can see that stuff literally not imaginable. Also other posts

We found no evidence to support the rumor that Mangione attempted to use a fake ID at McDonald's – a claim that has sparked widespread skepticism on social media as there are few, if any, plausible scenarios in which a person could do so in a fast food restaurant (unless the establishment serves alcohol).

It's possible the rumor came from a New York Post article, which stated in the first paragraph: “A person of interest was nabbed Monday in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson – possibly trying to “Caught using a fake ID at a McDonald's, law enforcement sources said.”

In a press conference on Dec. 9, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said a McDonald's employee “recognized” Mangione and called police. Responding officers in Altoona discovered Mangione was carrying “multiple fake IDs.” Tisch did not say he presented a fake ID while shopping for groceries.

“The suspect was in a McDonald's and was recognized by an employee who then called local police,” Tisch told the reporter's room. “Responding officers interviewed the suspect, who was acting suspiciously and carrying multiple fake IDs and a U.S. passport. Upon further investigation, officers recovered a firearm and a silencer from him, both of which were consistent with the weapon used in the murder.”

“They also recovered clothing, including a mask, that matched that worn by our wanted person. Also recovered was a fake New Jersey ID that matched the ID our suspect used to check into his New York hostel before the shooting. In addition, officers secured a handwritten document that reflected both his motivation and his mindset.”

Later that same day, CBS News reported that Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police clarified that a customer at McDonald's first noticed Mangione before informing the employee, and that the employee then called 911.

Altoona police posted (archived) on Facebook that the arrest occurred in the early morning hours, shortly after officers were dispatched to the scene.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said during the press conference that Mangione was “sitting there eating” when Altoona police officers arrived. He also said that Mangione was “in possession of a ghost gun capable of firing 9mm cartridges and a silencer,” adding that it “may have been made on a 3D printer” and that ballistic Tests could determine whether the weapon matched the one that killed Thompson. Kenny said his officers found no record of Mangione's previous U.S. arrests.

Tisch, Kenny and New York Mayor Eric Adams credited the media, the public and the sharing of Photos of the suspect for aiding and abetting the arrest of Mangione.

Adams called Mangione a “strong person of interest.”

Sources