A bizarre and brazen jailbreak attempt unfolded in Brooklyn this week after a man allegedly posing as a federal agent tried to free accused CEO assassin Luigi Mangione from jail — armed with nothing more than a pizza cutter and a BBQ fork.
Prosecutors say Mark Anderson, a 36-year-old from Minnesota, walked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on Wednesday evening around 6:50 p.m. and told guards he had paperwork “signed by a judge” authorizing Mangione’s release. The claim immediately raised red flags.
According to court records reviewed by NBC News, Anderson identified himself as an FBI agent. When guards demanded credentials, he reportedly produced only his Minnesota driver’s license. The situation escalated further when Anderson allegedly warned officers that he had weapons in his bag.
Prison staff quickly seized the bag and found what prosecutors described as a BBQ fork and a circular steel blade resembling a pizza cutter. Moments later, Anderson allegedly threw a stack of papers at guards, documents authorities say were related to lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Justice. He was then restrained and taken into custody.
The episode, equal parts absurd and alarming, highlights the growing frenzy surrounding Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of executing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024. Prosecutors allege Mangione, masked and armed, walked up to Thompson on a Manhattan street and shot him in the back of the head, killing the father of two in a cold-blooded attack.
BREAKING: Pizza Cutter-Wielding Minnesota Man Poses as FBI Agent in Foiled Effort to Bust Luigi Mangione Out of Jail
Is there something in the water in Minnesota? pic.twitter.com/nDt2pEu85u
— TaraBull (@TaraBull) January 29, 2026
Despite the gravity of the crime, Mangione has attracted a devoted and increasingly unhinged following. Supporters have portrayed the Ivy League graduate as a symbol of rebellion against the U.S. health care system, flooding him with letters, clothing, and personal photos while donating more than $1.4 million to his defense fund.
Anderson appears to be one of those believers. According to an affidavit, he moved from Mankato, Minnesota, to New York City after a job opportunity fell through and had been working at an unidentified pizzeria — a detail that prosecutors say aligns disturbingly well with the choice of “weapons” he brought to the jail. Authorities have not said how long he had been in New York or what specifically motivated the attempted stunt.
Anderson has been charged with impersonating a federal agent and is expected to appear in court Thursday, according to The New York Times.
Mangione, meanwhile, remains behind bars as prosecutors push forward on both state and federal cases. He appeared in court on January 23 sporting a beard as proceedings continued in the high-profile murder case. Federal prosecutors have already made clear they intend to seek the death penalty for the December 4 assassination in Midtown Manhattan.
The legal battle ahead is complex and contentious. Manhattan district attorneys have asked for Mangione’s state murder trial to begin July 1, hoping to move before his federal case later this year. His defense attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, has pushed back, arguing the timeline is unrealistic and that the defense will need the remainder of the year to prepare.
Legal experts note that even a federal death sentence would not end the state case. Denver-based trial attorney Eric Faddis explained that death penalty convictions are appealed for years, sometimes decades, giving New York ample time to pursue its own prosecution and punishment.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all charges. A judge has not yet ruled on whether state or federal prosecutors will go first.
As courts argue over calendars and strategies, one thing is already clear: the cult-like support surrounding Mangione has crossed into dangerous territory. And now, prosecutors say, it’s led at least one man to believe a pizza cutter and a fake badge were enough to break an accused assassin out of jail.
