A bizarre jailbreak attempt at a Brooklyn federal lockup ended almost as soon as it began when a man claiming to be an FBI agent tried to free accused killer Luigi Mangione — armed with nothing more than paperwork, a pizza cutter, and a BBQ fork.
According to the New York Post, Mark Anderson, 36, a Minnesota native, showed up at the Metropolitan Detention Center just before 7 p.m. Wednesday, prosecutors said, asserting he had a judge-signed order to release Mangione, who is being held without bail.
“When asked to show credentials, he pulled out a driver’s license from Minnesota and told staff he had weapons in his bag,” court records state.
Officials quickly searched Anderson’s bag and reportedly found a round steel blade resembling a pizza cutter, along with a BBQ fork.
After tossing a stack of papers at prison staff, Anderson was immediately arrested and charged with impersonating an FBI agent, authorities said.
A source familiar with the case told reporters that Anderson had recently moved to New York City for a job opportunity that fell through and had been working at a pizza parlor, though the specific location was not disclosed.
The stunt came just days before Mangione, 27, was scheduled for a pre-trial conference in Manhattan federal court.
The University of Pennsylvania graduate is charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside the company’s investor conference on Dec. 4, 2024.
Prosecutors have said Mangione had written in a notebook about wanting to “wack” Thompson, claiming the killing was motivated by the company’s “parasitic” denial of insurance claims. Mangione has pleaded not guilty.
Anderson was set to make his first court appearance Thursday afternoon, leaving authorities to unravel how a pizzeria worker allegedly thought he could pull off one of the most audacious jail breaks in recent memory.
