Small-town cops who busted Luigi Mangione wagered turkey hoagie if they made improbable arrest
In a New York court this Thursday, the trial of Luigi Mangione—charged with the hit‑and‑run killing of UnitedHealth’s CEO, Brian Thompson—was wrapped up with an odd twist: a turkey hoagie was on the line.
The case stems from an arrest that took place in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where Lt. William Hanelly had been in command of the December raid that hauled Mangione in from a local McDonald’s. Hanelly, who has said he’s made “hundreds of arrests” over his career, sent a text to Officer Joseph Detwiler that read:
> “If you get the New York City shooter I’ll buy you Luigetta’s for lunch”
The message came with a “wink” emoji and a challenge, to which Detwiler replied in the same spirit: “Consider it done then. I want a large turkey.” The pair’s exchange became part of the testimony as the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office pushed their case forward.
That same small‑town cop explained that a free sandwich from the local spot called “Luigetta’s” was his bargaining chip for any officer willing to pull the trigger on the alleged killer. Hanelly said that, while the text felt “preposterous,” the promise was made before he also defended his decision to search Mangione’s backpack without a warrant—a key legal point in the proceedings. He noted that the raid had taken place under a “warrant exception” in Pennsylvania, and that Officer Christy Wasser had every right to open the suspect’s bag, finding a 9 mm handgun, a red notebook, and a note that the alleged motive was to “wack” Thompson.
The raid itself followed reports from the McDonald’s manager that customers had spotted a masked suspect—believed to be Mangione—at a back table. The manager laughed nervously, telling officers that he had a customer who “looked like the CEO shooter from New York.” The incident was recorded and played in court, helping paint a picture of how the suspect was identified.
In the hearings, Mangione—27, seen in a gray suit and blue button‑down shirt—has pleaded not guilty. The proceedings, the longest yet in the case, will continue into Friday morning and are expected to conclude sometime next week. The town of Altoona, home to roughly 45,000 people, has marketed its local eatery’s “famous hoagies” on flyers, but it’s still unclear whether the promised sandwich was ever delivered.
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