After his court appearance on Tuesday, Dec. 10, suspected UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter Luigi Mangione was hit by someone yelling out an all-too-obvious Super Mario Bros. reference.
Mangione had a quick extradition hearing on Tuesday, and when it concluded he was spotted by reporters and photographers hoping to get a look at the leading suspect in the killing of Brian Thompson. The 26-year-old was being escorted out of the court building into a police vehicle when someone yelled out to him, "Hey, Luigi! It's a me, Mario!"
Anyone who has played one of Nintendo's Super Mario Brothers games will be familiar with the phrase, as Charles Martinet originally uttered in most of the games in the series. Being that the suspected shooter shares a name with Mario's brother, Luigi, it was bound to happen at some point. Luigi-focused memes have flooded social media ever since Mangione was identified and captured by authorities on Monday, Dec. 10.
The suspect is currently being held at SCI Huntingdon outside of Altoona. TMZ reports that he is not on suicide watch following meetings with mental health professionals at the correctional facility. His fellow prisoners, as seen in a clip circulating on social media, yelled out to reporters to indicate that Mangione is being held in subpar conditions.
"Luigi's conditions suck, free Luigi!" one of the prisoners could be heard chanting.
Mangione was arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona on Monday, at which point authorities said he was found carrying "multiple fraudulent IDs," a silenced firearm, cash that he claimed wasn't his, and a handwritten, three-page manifesto. He is the leading suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was fatally shot outside of a Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan on Dec. 4.
He has since been charged with second-degree murder, carrying a gun without a license, forgery, false identification to law enforcement, and possession of an instrument of crime. In his manifesto, he was highly critical of the healthcare insurance industry, describing the executives of the leading companies as "parasites."
