Luigi Mangione was caught with a Greyhound ticket bearing the name “Sam Dawson” in his jacket pocket when he was taken into custody for allegedly killing UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson last year, a Manhattan court revealed on Thursday. An image shown in the Supreme Court courtroom displayed the crumpled ticket from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, dated December 4, 2024 and listing “Sam Dawson” as the passenger. That was the same day Mangione, 27, was accused of shooting Thompson to death in Midtown Manhattan.
Altoona police officer Tyler Frye—who located Mangione seated at a table in a local McDonald’s on December 9, 2024—testified about the arrest and the items the suspect had with him during the third day of evidence‑suppression hearings, which are being held in this highly publicized case.
The ticket indicated that “Dawson” was scheduled to arrive in Pittsburgh at 11:55 p.m., more than twelve hours after Mangione allegedly shot Thompson on West 54th Street. It is still unknown whether Mangione bought the ticket himself. “Sam Dawson” is also the name of the intellectually disabled protagonist portrayed by Sean Penn in the 2001 film “I Am Sam.”
When Mangione appeared in court on the one‑year anniversary of the alleged killing, he listened intently to Frye’s account, jotting notes as the officer spoke. Frye explained that the officers conducted an “in‑depth” search of Mangione—essentially a strip‑search—something not routinely performed in the city around 100 mi east of Pittsburgh. “We don’t do them very often,” Frye said.
Body‑cam footage shown in court appeared to capture Mangione strip‑down before the camera turned black, which Frye said is standard for that type of search. Other shots showed an officer at the station on the phone, saying the cops had found “all kinds of goodies” in Mangione’s backpack, including a handgun and a suppressor.
Court evidence also included a photo of a USB drive attached to a silver necklace Mangione wore when he was taken into custody.
At the time of the bust, Frye had only been with the Altoona Police Department for six months, learning how to handle traffic stops with Patrolman Joseph Detwiler. A call brought them to the fast‑food joint when a “suspicious” individual—wearing a medical mask, a tan beanie and a black jacket—was sitting too long inside. In the back of the restaurant, officers approached Mangione, asked for his name, and he replied “Mark Rosario.” He then produced a fake New Jersey driver’s licence with the same name.
During a brief conversation at the table, Frye asked Mangione what brought him from New Jersey. Mangione answered in a low tone, which Frye interpreted as a refusal to talk at that moment. “It was something along the lines of: He didn’t want to talk to me at that time,” Frye told Manhattan prosecutors.
Later, Mangione told the officer he was merely trying to use the Wi‑Fi in McDonald’s.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The hearings will resume on Friday.
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