Someone Tried to Break Luigi Mangione out of Jail, and They Did It in a Very Theatrical Way

In December 2024, Luigi Mangione was arrested in connection with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The incident occurred on the streets of Manhattan while Thompson was on his way to the company's annual investor day conference. He was fatally shot multiple times.

Two things happened after Thompson's murder. After photos of a masked shooter began circulating online, some corners of social media decided they liked the way he looked. They liked it a lot. The person charged with Thompson's death became a cult-like figure, similar to Robin Hood. He was painted as a hero. This continued after Mangione was taken into custody. A little over a year later, someone tried to break him out of jail. Here's what we know.

According to NBC News, 35-year-old Mark Anderson was arrested at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after he tried to spring Mangione from jail. Per a complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, when Anderson was asked by prison workers for his identification, he showed them a Minnesota driver’s license and "claimed to be in possession of weapons."

Anderson also said he was an "FBI Agent in possession of paperwork 'signed by a judge' authorizing the release of a specific inmate." That inmate was Mangione. The complaint goes on to say Anderson "displayed and threw at [Bureau of Prisons] officers numerous documents" that were related to filing claims against the United States Department of Justice. Upon searching his backpack, they found a barbecue fork and a round steel blade that resembled a pizza cutter.

Anderson had moved from Mankato, Minn., to New York City for a job opportunity that didn't pan out. He then got a job at a pizzeria in the Bronx, where he had been sporadically working for about a year, per The New York Times. The incident occurred on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. Anderson appeared in court the following morning. He looked nervous while speaking with his court-appointed lawyer, Michael Weil.

Federal prosecutor Jack Dennehy argued that Anderson should remain behind bars due to a criminal history that includes drug charges and aggravated robbery. He had two open cases in the Bronx, one of which was a charge for flashing a pistol. Dennehy didn't expressly say Mangione's name but referenced a "specific inmate" Anderson wanted to free. "He’s actually very well known," said the prosecutor.

Weil provided some background on his client, saying Anderson is "very alone in the world." Anderson had been in the so-called system since he was 13 years old and had not been raised by his biological family. "Mr. Anderson obviously needs some sort of treatment,” said Weil. "I don’t think this was a serious effort to free someone from prison." News of Anderson's arrest shocked his stepmother, Sandra Koperski, who said she had just spoken to him about a week prior.

Anderson had told Koperski he was planning on checking himself into a mental health facility. His boss at Louie & Ernie’s Pizza said Anderson never showed any signs of mental instability until quite recently. Koperski said things started to get bad when Anderson started using illicit drugs. He has been charged with impersonating a federal agent.