Social Media Reactions to Luigi Mangione Arrest, Person of Interest In UnitedHealthcare CEO's Murder

In addition to the second-degree murder charge, he also faces charges of possession of a loaded firearm (two counts), possession of a forged instrument, and criminal possession of a weapon in New York.

The arrest of Liugi Mangioni, the man detained on firearm charges and named as a "strong person of interest" in connection with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson -- has taken over social media.

Mangioni, 26, was arrested Monday by the Altoona Police Department at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania on firearm charges. He has not yet been charged in connection with Thompson's murder, though he was allegedly carrying a gun and silencer "both consistent with the weapon used in the murder," according to New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

He also allegedly had "a hand-written document that speaks to both his motivation and mindset," or manifesto, said Tisch -- and was carrying a fake New Jersey ID "matching the ID our suspect used to check into his New York City hostel before the shooting. According to CNN, citing police officials who allegedly saw the document, he wrote, "These parasites had it coming" and "I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done" -- and said he acted alone and was self-funded.

New York Mayor Eric Adams also said Monday that Mangioni matches the description of the person they've been looking for, claiming he was "in possession of several items that we believe will connect him to this incident."

Once he was officially named as the person of interest, those following the case quickly located Mangioni's social media pages. Before his name was out there, Mangioni had less than 1,000 followers on Instagram; at the time of publishing, he has more than 19K. On X, he also went from an equally low number to more than 43K, in less than an hour. Both accounts, as well as his Facebook page, are still active as of 11:30am PT.

His most recent Instagram post, from 2021, has been flooded with those admiring him as well -- calling him a "legend," "My Goat," "King," and "Hero," as well as comments about putting up money for bail.

His name also became the #1 trending topic on X, as many began posting a shirtless photo he has in his banner image on the social media platform, while calling him "hot."

"Luigi Mangione probably did it for political reasons and to force everyone see this photo of him," wrote one user, while another commented, "your honor, my client luigi mangione is innocent. he was just demonstrating the true power of having "looks that could kill." the only thing criminal is his bone structure."

"In this house, Luigi Mangione is a hero, end of story," wrote another user, while another popular post read, "The manhunt has now ended with investigators declaring 'too hot to convict.'"

Yet another exclaimed, "FREE LUIGI MANGIONE IMMEDIATELY."

Both Ryan Murphy and Dave Franco's names also began to trend, as many commented on how much Franco looks like Mangione ... while others joked Murphy -- the man behind Monsters and True Crime Story -- was "running towards his typewriter."

The reactions again highlight the divide online in the wake of Thompson's murder; while many have condemned the shooting, there are also many on social media who reacted to the assassination by calling the shooter a hero, while venting their own frustrations over health care and insurance.

Over the weekend, even SNL addressed many who've been calling the suspect "hot" after photos of the unidentified suspect had previously been released by authorities.