Did the NYPD's perp walk of Luigi Mangione backfire?

Dec. 20, 2024, 2:55 p.m.

Perp walks are traditionally meant to shame suspects and celebrate police work. Mangione’s seemed to generate sympathy on social media.

Luigi Mangione, suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City, arrives at a heliport with members of the NYPD.

It was the perp walk that launched a thousand memes.

Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old charged in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was brought to New York City on Thursday via helicopter, clean shaven and wearing an orange Department of Correction jumpsuit.

He was promptly escorted off the helipad, the Hudson River behind him, by close to two dozen people including NYPD officers, federal officials and Mayor Eric Adams. Thompson’s killing sparked a national debate about the animosity many feel towards health insurers, with some praising Mangione for the alleged murder. The scene of him arriving Thursday resembled something more out of an action movie than a routine prisoner transfer.

Typically a perp walk is designed to shame the suspect and celebrate the police department’s work. Arguably no one engages in the practice more than the NYPD, who have paraded around everyone from small-time gang members to John Gotti. But the practice has been criticized by many for harming the reputations of people who have only been accused, not convicted of a crime.

In the case of Mangione’s perp walk, at least on social media, the optics appear to have backfired on the NYPD and the mayor. Many noted that the mayor himself has been criminally charged for corruption and bribery. On the morning of Mangione’s arrival, the mayor’s closest adviser Ingrid Lewi-Martin surrendered to authorities on criminal charges of bribery. She was herself perp walked later in the day.

But the overriding theme on X, Instagram, Facebook and elsewhere was that Mangione’s perp walk made a man accused of premeditated murder seem sympathetic.

Shortly after photos and videos of Mangione’s arrival in New York City went public, so did the memes and commentary.

The first thing many people noticed was how Mangione looked when he touched down. He’d been sitting in jail for nearly two weeks since being arrested at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s on Dec. 9.

The scene felt familiar to many, almost cinematic.

The whole event was made to feel even more movie-like when Adams showed up. Adams said he wanted to go to “look him in the eye” and tell him “you carried out this terrorist act in my city, the city that the people of New York love.”

After questioning why Adams, who is facing his own federal charges, was at the ceremonious perp walk, people turned their attention to questions about the NYPD’s logic behind the spectacle, and how much time, money and other resources went into orchestrating it.

Ultimately, what was supposed to be an act of disgrace may have actually garnered more sympathy for Mangione.

CEO shooting suspect Luigi Mangione charged with murder in NYC, Manhattan DA says Luigi Mangione faces a judge in Manhattan courtroom, will be held in federal detention