The alleged killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was captured by a rookie cop who had only been in the job for six months.
Officer Tyler Frye was one of the officers who helped apprehend 26-year-old Luigi Mangione in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday.
Frye was joined by state Gov. Josh Shapiro and other law enforcement officials Monday at a press conference announcing the arrest of Mangione.
He revealed that he had only been with the Altoona Police Department for around six months prior to making the arrest.
Frye and another officer were the first to respond to the McDonald's location where the suspect was spotted on Monday by a customer and employee.
The cop said he 'recognized him immediately' after Mangione pulled down a blue medical mask he was wearing.
'We just didn't think twice about it. We knew that was our guy. I can’t say I was expecting it by any means,' Frye explained.
'But it feels good to get a guy like that off the street. Especially starting my career this way, it feels great.'
Rookie Officer Tyler Frye was one of the officers who helped apprehend 26-year-old Luigi Mangione in Altoona, Pennsylvania , on Monday
Frye and another officer were the first to respond to the McDonald's location where Mangione, seen here in his booking photo, was spotted on Monday by a customer and an employee
The rookie added of Mangione's arrest: 'He was very cooperative with us. Didn’t really give us too many issues. Once we found out his identity, we took it from there.'
New York City Mayor Eric Adams later shared a video to his social media accounts showing him on a call with Frye.
In it, the young cop can be heard telling Adams: 'I guess we got your guy. It was great to do, I'm more than happy to do it.
'I can't say I was expecting it waking up this morning, but it was a great experience for me. I'm more than happy to take someone like that off the street.'
Adams said: 'We, as New Yorkers, we appreciate it. And you just did a great job. Heads-up policing.
'You took a dangerous person off the street and we thank you so much. I just wanted to call and tell you thank you.'
Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family, is currently behind bars in Pennsylvania.
He was initially charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police.
On Monday night, prosecutors in Manhattan had added a charge of murder according to court records. He is set to be extradited back to New York for his crimes.
Frye said he 'recognized him immediately' after Mangione pulled down a blue medical mask he was wearing
New York Mayor Eric Adams later shared a video to social media account while on a call with Frye
His arrest followed a days-long manhunt for the suspect in the killing of Thompson, who was gunned down outside the Hilton Hotel on Wednesday morning.
Investigators scoured New York City in the days after his killing, with the words 'delay', 'deny' and 'depose' found written on shell casings at the scene.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that when Mangione was taken in by cops, he was carrying a gun like the one used to kill Thompson.
He was also said to be in possession of a fake ID that the alleged shooter had used to check into a New York hostel, along with a passport and several fake IDs.
Authorities also confirmed that he had a handwritten manifesto on him in which he blasted UnitedHealthcare.
In the 262-word document, Mangione said that as UnitedHealthcare's market capitalization has grown, the life expectancy of Americans has not.
The document condemned companies that 'continue to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has allowed them to get away with it.'
Mangione's arrest followed a days-long manhunt for the suspect in the killing of Brian Thompson, who was gunned down outside the Hilton Hotel on Wednesday morning
He reportedly wrote that acted alone and that he was self-funded.
'To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn't working with anyone,' Mangione said.
'These parasites had it coming. I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done.'
Mangione is from a wealthy family, with his grandfather a self-made multimillionaire who owned a luxury holiday resort, nursing homes and a radio station.
He attended the $40,000 a year Gilman prep school in Baltimore, where he graduated as valedictorian in 2016.
A clip shared online after Mangione's arrest shows him speaking confidently and eloquently on-stage, with a former classmate describing him as exceptionally intelligent.
His family sent their condolences to Brian Thompson's family and appealed for privacy.
