"Sounds like he got a crush"— Netizens react to Mayor Eric Adams saying he wanted to look Luigi Mangione in the eye when he entered New York
On Thursday, December 19, 2024, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's murder suspect, Luigi Mangione, was extradited to New York City. As reported by The Hill, New York City Mayor Eric Adams had a brief conversation with the suspected shooter.
While speaking to PX11 News on Thursday, Adams revealed his reasons for addressing Mangione directly. He stated:
"I wanted to send a strong message with the police commissioner that we’re leading from the front. I’m not going to just allow him to come into our city. I wanted to look him in the eye to say that, 'You carried out this terrorist act in my city, the city that the people of New York love,' and I wanted to be there to show the symbolism of that."
The mayor's statement gained traction online, prompting many netizens to respond on social media. One X user (@BRODYSVERSION) tweeted:
"Sounds like he got a crush."
Netizens shared their opinions on the mayor's statement.
"He's lying, he's got a man crush on Luigi," a user wrote on X.
"We stand with Luigi," declared a netizen.
"Didn’t he himself (the mayor) just get charged for breaking the law 😂," questioned another one.
Several other netizens claimed that Adams just wanted the clout that Luigi Mangione had attracted. A user tweeted:
"Lool bro just wanted some Luigi clout he ain’t gotta do all that lying 💀😭."
"He just tryna be included 😂😂," added a tweet.
"Even a Mayor had to join in the paparazzi," mocked another netizen.
While netizens mocked the city mayor for his statement, he faced additional criticism after being seen walking just behind Luigi Mangione during the latter's perp walk. This caught attention, as mayors typically do not involve themselves in the handling of individuals in federal custody on a personal level, as reported by The New York Times.
"Those who bring illegal guns to our city will face justice"— Mayor Eric Adams said about suspect Luigi Mangione
While Mayor Eric Adams was seen walking behind Luigi Mangione during the perp walk in New York City, this wasn't all. Adams further shared photos and clips of the event on his official X account on December 19, 2024. In the caption of the tweet, he first confirmed that Mangione was finally extradited from Pennsylvania.
Elsewhere in the tweet's caption, he wrote:
"Those who bring illegal guns to our city will face justice..."
Eric Adams then expressed his gratitude to everybody involved, including the law enforcement officials who apprehended the suspected shooter allegedly responsible for Brian Thompson's death.
As reported by The New York Times, experts described the tactic of walking behind Luigi during the perp walk as "a blatant and an unnecessary attempt at self-promotion." CBS News reported that, discussing his presence there, Adams said he wanted to send a clear message that such violence wouldn't be tolerated.
As for Luigi Mangione, he is now detained at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, which is a federal lockup.