Minnesota Man Arrested After Bizarre Brooklyn Jailbreak Attempt

On a chilly Wednesday evening in Brooklyn, the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) became the scene of an audacious, almost surreal escape attempt that left federal officers and onlookers alike shaking their heads in disbelief. Mark Anderson, a 36-year-old Minnesota native, was arrested after allegedly trying to free Luigi Mangione, the high-profile inmate accused of assassinating UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, by impersonating an FBI agent. The details of the event, pieced together from federal complaints and law enforcement sources cited by ABC News, The New York Times, and CBS News, paint a picture that is as bizarre as it is alarming.

According to court filings unsealed the following day, Anderson entered the intake area of MDC-Brooklyn on the night of January 28, 2026. He claimed to be an FBI agent carrying paperwork "signed by a judge" that supposedly authorized the release of Mangione, who is awaiting both federal and state trials for the December 2024 killing of Thompson. When Bureau of Prisons (BOP) personnel asked for identification, Anderson produced nothing more than a Minnesota driver’s license—hardly the gold standard for federal credentials. He then began throwing various documents at the officers, documents that, according to the criminal complaint reviewed by CBS News, appeared to be related to claims against the U.S. Department of Justice.

What happened next only deepened the sense of unreality. Anderson declared that he was armed, prompting a swift search of his backpack. Inside, officers discovered a large barbecue fork and a round steel blade resembling a pizza cutter—the kind you’d expect to find in a pizzeria, not in the hands of someone attempting a jail break. As Gothamist wryly noted, Anderson’s arsenal was "half-cooked and, frankly, hilarious." Yet, the seriousness of his actions was not lost on authorities: Anderson was immediately arrested and charged with impersonating a federal agent, a federal offense that landed him in court the very next day.

The criminal complaint, filed by prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York, detailed Anderson’s peculiar behavior. Not only did he fail to provide any legitimate law enforcement identification, but his barrage of paperwork and claims of weapon possession set off alarm bells among the prison staff. According to an FBI agent who signed the complaint, "Anderson also displayed and threw at the BOP officers numerous documents. I have reviewed those papers and they appear to be related to filing of claims against the United States Department of Justice." (The New York Times)

As the story unfolded, more details about Anderson’s background emerged. Law enforcement sources told CBS News and The New York Times that Anderson had traveled from Mankato, Minnesota, to New York City for a job opportunity that ultimately fell through. In the interim, he found employment at a pizzeria—a fact that, given the pizza cutter found in his bag, added a touch of dark comedy to the incident.

But while Anderson’s attempted jailbreak was quickly foiled, the episode cast a fresh spotlight on the man he tried to free. Luigi Mangione, 27, has become a controversial and, to some, cult-like figure since his arrest. Mangione is being held at MDC-Brooklyn without bail, facing a slew of charges in both state and federal courts. The most serious of these stem from the December 4, 2024, killing of Brian Thompson, who was shot on a Manhattan street as he arrived for an investors’ event at a midtown hotel. Prosecutors allege that Mangione stalked Thompson before carrying out what they describe as an "assassination-style" murder. He was apprehended five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Since his arrest, Mangione’s legal saga has grown only more complex. He faces three federal charges—first-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and stalking—as well as eleven state charges. A federal terrorism charge was dropped in September 2025, but prosecutors have not let up. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced in April 2025 that the government would seek the death penalty, calling the killing "an act of political violence" and "a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America." Federal prosecutors have argued in court filings that Mangione poses a continuing threat, stating, "Simply put, the defendant hoped to normalize the use of violence to achieve ideological or political objectives."

This rhetoric has only fueled the public’s fascination with Mangione. Since his arrest, his legal defense fund has raised more than $1.4 million, according to The New York Times. Supporters—many of whom are deeply critical of the U.S. for-profit healthcare system—have sent letters, books, and personal photographs to Mangione at the jail. Some even openly identify as his "acolytes," seeing his alleged act as a protest rather than a crime. As federal prosecutors noted, "certain quarters of the public... have increasingly begun to view violence as an acceptable, or even necessary, substitute for reasoned political disagreement."

The legal process is moving forward on multiple fronts. State prosecutors in Manhattan have urged a judge to set Mangione’s murder trial for July 2026, while jury selection for his federal case is scheduled to begin in September. Meanwhile, a critical hearing is set for January 30, 2026, where the federal judge may decide whether the death penalty will remain a sentencing option if Mangione is convicted.

As for Anderson, his fate now lies in the hands of the federal courts. He is expected to appear in court to face charges of impersonating a federal agent, a crime that carries significant penalties. His motivations remain murky—was he acting out of personal conviction, misguided loyalty, or desperation after his failed job search in New York? Whatever the answer, his attempt has only added another layer of intrigue to an already sensational case.

It’s not often that a story combines elements of true crime, political protest, and farce in such equal measure. Yet, for all its strangeness, the episode at MDC-Brooklyn has underscored the deep divisions and passions swirling around Mangione’s case—and the lengths to which some will go, even armed only with kitchen utensils, in pursuit of their cause. The coming months promise more twists as the trials approach, and both Anderson and Mangione await their fates in the shadow of the Brooklyn jail.