An Altoona police officer testified Tuesday that he immediately recognized Luigi Mangione after the suspect removed his mask at a McDonald’s, a key moment now under scrutiny in the defense effort to suppress critical evidence

Testimony in the second day of a pretrial suppression hearing for Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel last December, centered Tuesday on the circumstances of Mangione’s arrest at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and whether police conducted an unlawful search of his backpack.

Prosecutors allege the killing was premeditated, pointing to a 3D-printed “ghost gun” with a silencer, a notebook containing supposed anti-healthcare writings and other items recovered from Mangione’s backpack. His defense team is seeking to suppress that evidence, along with statements Mangione made to police, arguing the backpack was searched without probable cause or consent. Luigi Mangione arrived in court today wearing a dark grey suit with a light pink and white checkered shirt. He appeared engaged during the morning session, often watching the screen with his hand on his chin.

The first state witness of the day was Altoona Police Officer Joseph Detweiler, a 14-year veteran who made the initial contact with Mangione on the morning of December 9, 2024, after the manager at the McDonald’s reported a suspicious customer who matched photos of the New York shooting suspect.

Detweiler testified that he recognized Mangione almost immediately when the masked suspect removed his light-blue face covering and provided a New Jersey driver’s license in the name of “Mark Rosario.” When asked about Altoona’s mask policies, the Officer drew laughter from the gallery as he stated, “We don’t wear them. We have antibodies.”

Officer Detweiler also said he had seen extensive news coverage of the murder on Fox News, including surveillance images and video of the shooting itself, and was aware the weapon used in New York had not been recovered, and thus feared for the safety of the public. The gallery watched Body-Worn-Camera footage of how the arrest and search were played out. When Detweiler initially approached Mangione, he indicated that he wanted to keep him calm, and told him it was McDonald’s policy that law enforcement be called if they suspect that a customer is loitering or has outstayed their welcome. He admitted this statement was not true, but meant to keep Mangione at ease. While Detweiler also indicated that Mangione seemed nervous and his fingers were shaking, he did appear to calmly eat his McDonald’s hash brown and steak breakfast sandwich while making small talk with the officer. 

Officer: Is that your name, Mark Rosario?

Luigi: No sir.

Officer: Whats your name?

Luigi: Luigi.

Officer: How do you spell your full name?

Luigi: L U I G I M A N G I O N E.

Officer: DOB?

Luigi: May 6, 1998.

Patrolman Fox: Why you’d lie about your name?

(unclear, talk of…

— Lauren Conlin (@conlin_lauren) December 2, 2025

After an initial pat down for weapons revealed nothing, Detweiler said he moved Mangione’s backpack away from him for “officer safety,” later describing it as “heavy.” He also described Mangione as wearing a large coat (which we saw on camera) and wore three layers of thick clothing. Upon a final frisk post-arrest, officers found a knife, a jar of peanut butter, a loose string, and a blue and white wallet that contained “lots of money” and foreign currency.

At approximately 9:46 AM, after dispatch flagged the Rosario license as potentially false, Mangione admitted the identification was fake and provided his real name: Luigi Mangione, born May 6, 1998. Officers then issued Miranda warnings. At 9:50 AM, he was arrested.

Scroll to continue reading

Prosecutors and Detweiler emphasized that Mangione was initially detained on a felony charge of providing false identification. This, along with Detweiler’s testimony that he immediately recognized Mangione as the New York shooting suspect the moment the mask was removed, forms the basis (prosecutors argue) for the arrest and the search at 10:00 AM. Direct testimony is expected to continue this afternoon, followed by a cross-examination.