How an assassin escaped one of the most surveilled cities in the world

UnitedHealth CEO’s assassin has evaded police but has left a trail of clues to his whereabouts; as investigators use a web of public and private cameras to hunt him down, while alleging he likely fled NYC by bus.

A reward poster hangs outside the New York Hilton in Midtown Manhattan where Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was fatally shot. Picture: AP

The UnitedHealth assassin has evaded police in one of the most surveilled cities in the world but has left a trail of clues to his whereabouts.

Investigators are using a web of public and private cameras to hunt the suspect who fatally shot Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealth’s insurance arm. The killing outside a New York City Hilton hotel was captured on video Wednesday, along with several other stops the suspect has made.

Amnesty International has estimated New York City has more than 25,000 cameras at traffic intersections alone. The city introduced a new drone surveillance initiative over Central Park last month to help solve crimes there and in other areas.

The images offer hints about the killer’s journey as he went to Starbucks and slipped away in Manhattan. But there are holes in the timeline the investigators made public, underscoring how difficult it can be to track a single man in a city of more than eight million.

Before the shooting, the suspect visited a Starbucks and made purchases with cash, which cannot be tracked, a law-enforcement official said. Picture: AFP PHOTO / NYPD

The New York City Police Department said Friday afternoon they think the suspect left the state on a bus. Police said investigators used surveillance footage to track the suspect’s path out of Central Park and up the west side of Manhattan, from which they think he made his getaway out of New York.

Steps from the Hilton entrance, an assassin appeared from behind a parked car, walked forward and opened fire. Picture: NY Post

Here are some of the places the suspect was spotted in New York City. Picture: Wall Street Journal

Surveillance videos show the suspect exiting the park, still with the bike, near 77th Street and Central Park West, police said Friday. Later videos described by police show him walking near 86th Street and Columbus Avenue. The suspect took a taxi to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, where police said they think he caught a bus leaving the state. Police said they have footage of him entering the bus terminal but no video of him leaving.

After reaching West 55th Street, the suspect rode an e-bike north on 6th Avenue past several traffic surveillance cameras. Picture: AFP PHOTO / NYPD

The suspect stayed at an Upper West Side hostel before the shooting. Investigators are searching for clues at the hostel, a Victorian-style building near Central Park.Authorities haven’t publicly identified the suspect, who appears masked in much of the surveillance footage. On Thursday, police released its clearest image to date, showing a person of interest smiling as he leans over a counter.

Wall Street Journal