He may also need a get-out-of-jail-free card.
Police found monopoly money in a backpack believed to belong to the masked assassin who shot and killed UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown, law enforcement sources told the Post.
The colorful play money was discovered Friday by NYPD detectives inside a gray backpack hidden in the bushes of Central Park, and officials said it may have been left behind by the gunman after the shooting. .
The backpack, similar to the one worn by the gunman in the killing caught on camera, was recovered near the Heckscher playground, south of the merry-go-round.
Officials said a jacket was also found inside, along with cash for a board game.
What we know about the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
- Brian Thompson, CEO of insurance giant UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed in a “brazen, targeted attack” outside a luxury midtown hotel on Wednesday, police said.
- The methodical killer used a silenced gun outside the Hilton Hotel on Sixth Avenue.
- The gunman fired multiple shots at Thompson, striking him in the back and right calf, before fleeing on foot.
- The NYPD releases new photos of the hooded suspect standing in front of the Starbucks counter at West 56th Street and Sixth Avenue, just minutes from the Hilton Hotel where Thompson, 50, was shot and killed. did.
- Mr. Thompson was appointed CEO of UnitedHealth in April 2021. He joined the company in 2004. He was one of several senior executives at the company under investigation by the Justice Department.
- Thompson's wife, Paulette, said she had received threats before her husband was killed.
- The New York City Police Department is investigating whether live bullets or shell casings left behind by a masked assassin may have been engraved with messages that appear to include the words “denial,” “resign,” and “defense.”
Follow the Post's live updates on news about Brian Thompson's murder.
Photos obtained by the Post show the backpack in seemingly good condition after police recovered it from a wooded area.
Police sources said the bag was sent directly to a laboratory for forensic testing.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenney called the backpack “very distinctive.”
Paul Dering, founder and CEO of Peak Design, said he believes this backpack could be one of his company's designs.
Thompson, 50, was gunned down before dawn Wednesday outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown as he walked to an investor event without any security.
Authorities say the assassin fled shortly after the on-camera killing, speeding through Central Park on his bike and at one point leaving the city for Atlanta on a Greyhound bus.
The New York Police Department sent more than 100 police officers and a drone unit to Central Park on Friday to search for clues as investigators trace the gunman's escape route.
Before the shooting, the suspect, who has not yet been identified, was staying at an Upper West Side hostel and was wearing a mask in his room, according to the gunman's roommate.
“[The roommates] He said he didn't speak. He kept his mask on during the meal. He pulled down his mask to take a bite,” Kenney said.
He showed his face only briefly, flirting with the woman working at the front desk. The NYPD widely distributed photos of the moment.
The gunman evaded law enforcement for four days as the FBI took part in a massive investigation.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams told reporters Saturday that authorities had identified the murder suspect.
“The net is getting tighter,” Hizzoner said.
