Man attempts to free Luigi Mangione with pizza cutter
A man attempted to break Luigi Mangione out of jail in New York by impersonating an FBI agent and using a pizza cutter to aid the attempted escape plan.
36-year-old Man Anderson was charged on January 29th, after showing up at the Metropolitan Detention Center claiming that he was with the FBI.
Just before 7 pm, Anderson approached the intake area and shared with the guards that he had papers, which were “signed by a judge,” which ordered Mangione’s release.
Mangione had been held in the Brooklyn prison since his arrest in December 2024, when he allegedly shot and killed UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson. He was arrested in a McDonald’s some 300 miles away from the original crime scene.
The federal prosecutors alleged that Anderson confessed to having weapons in his backpack in order to threaten his way to Mangione’s cell. The weapons turned out to be a barbecue fork and a pizza cutter.
Though unusual, the weapon choice makes more sense given that Anderson works for a pizzeria in New York.
However, when prison personnel asked to see his credentials, Anderson’s plan began crumbling before his very eyes. He shared with them a driving licence, rather than an FBI ID card, and a host of other useless documentation.
Anderson was subsequently charged with impersonating a federal agent after his unsuccessful attempt to help Mangione out of custody. This failed scheme only hints at the host of support rallied around Mangione, as the US public deems the case symbolic of worsening health care and the burgeoning levels of austerity across the country.
In other Mangione news, the now 27-year-old officially won’t face the death penalty if convicted for the murder of Thompson, as US District Judge Margaret Garnett dismissed federal firearm charges against Mangione, which carried the possibility of capital punishment.