Monopoly money found in backpack believed to belong to UnitedHealthcare shooter: reports

Multiple media outlets reported, citing law enforcement sources, that a backpack believed to belong to the man who fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and containing Monopoly money was discovered in Central Park in Manhattan.

Following the killing of 50-year-old Thompson on Wednesday, December 4, outside New York’s Hilton Midtown, NBC News, ABC News and The New York Post reported on Saturday, December 7, that the New York Police Department (NYPD) has since recovered a gray backpack that officials believe belonged to the suspect, who still has not been identified.

According to ABC News, money for the board game as well as a Tommy Hilfiger jacket were found in the gray bag. It was discovered hidden near the Heckscher playground, they said post.

Four law enforcement officers told NBC News that no weapon was found in the bag itself, while others added that it was unclear whether the jacket found in the bag was the same jacket that the suspect was wearing during the shooting on surveillance video filmed.

The NYPD continued searching the area on December 7th. ABC News said officers searched near a pond at Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, while NBC News reported that officers continued to search for evidence in wooded parts of the park and fountain areas.

The NYPD did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Sunday, December 8.

Reports of the discovery of a backpack come as the NYPD releases new images of the suspect in the early hours of December 8th. The images shared on X (formerly Twitter) show the apparent suspect as seen from what appears to be a camera positioned in the front of a taxi.

In the images, the man is pictured wearing a hoodie and jacket – seemingly different from the one he was previously wearing in the photo – and is also wearing a blue medical-style face mask.

The suspect was photographed exiting the vehicle and sitting in the back, looking through a partition between the front and back of the cab.

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“UPDATE: Below are photos of a person of interest wanted for questioning in the Dec. 4 murder in Midtown Manhattan,” the NYPD news report wrote on contained.

“The NYPD’s overall investigative efforts continue and we ask the public for help – if you have any information about this case, call NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). Additionally, you can DM @NYPDTips on

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told CNN that investigators now have “reason to believe” that the suspect involved in the shooting is no longer in New York.

New York Police Chief Joseph Kenny added that the man was seen walking around 86th Street and Columbus Avenue – more than 30 blocks north of the crime scene – after leaving Central Park. A taxi reportedly took him to a bus station at 178th Street and Broadway.

“These buses are intercity buses,” Kenny said. “That’s why we believe he may have left New York City.”

CNN also reported that police believe the suspected shooter came to New York on a bus that originally left Atlanta more than a week before the shooting.

ABC News, citing police, said the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were discovered on bullet casings at the scene.