‘This man has a plan’: Luigi Mangione being caught in Altoona, PA might not be a coincidence, and the Monopoly money proves it

When Luigi Mangione allegedly shot United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, it looked as though the whole thing had been planned meticulously. The engraved bullets, the Monopoly money, and his clean getaway suggested that the suspect — whether or not it was Mangione — knew what he was doing. So how did this celebrated suspect end up making such a foolish blunder by getting caught at a random McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania?

Maybe it wasn’t a mistake after all.

A video shared to TikTok theorizes that getting arrested was all a part of Mangione’s plan. Their reason for thinking this? The Pennsylvania Railroad is a power card in Monopoly, and it has a station in Altoona. The suspect left a bag full of Monopoly money to be found by police, and Mangione was found at a location from the board game. Coincidence? I think not. Many speculated that the money could have been part of a message, and maybe he wanted it to be found. Why else would the suspected gunman have a wad of Monopoly currency in his bag? I highly doubt he was in the middle of a game before he supposedly did what he did.

When you think about it, it starts to make sense that the alleged gunman planned his capture; after all, why would he have had the murder weapon, fake IDs, and documents explaining why he did it, all on his person five days after the murder? It just doesn’t make sense. Also, why was he in Altoona, PA of all places?

Many have already claimed that there was something fishy about how easily he was caught after being so meticulous in the days prior. It seems almost too perfect.

But what’s the message? What could it all mean? How could he have planned this all out? Maybe this is all a game to him — we just don’t know. If it really was his intention to get caught, then perhaps the answers we seek will come in time. A video supposedly posted to a YouTube channel attributed to Mangione told people to “be patient” and that “all was scheduled,” implying another video would follow, although it seems the account may not actually be his after all.

Not everyone believes these conspiracy theories, with some commenters on TikTok poking fun at those who think there’s more to the story. One user wrote: “Yall watch too many movies,” while another had this to say: “It’s amazing how bored people apparently are nowadays.”

Some added to the conspiracy — although I have to admit, some of these theories are really reaching, as people are overthinking this just a tad: “McDonald’s is home of Monopoly…profile pic holding fries 🍟…arrested by officer FRYES.” Some even wondered whether Anonymous were somehow involved.

While it’s not impossible that this should all be a part of some grand scheme, let’s take a step back for a moment. Sometimes coincidences are just that, and it’s easy to see things that might be connected and come to the wrong conclusion. That being said, there’s nothing wrong with a little harmless speculation.