Even before we knew his name was Luigi Mangione, we knew what the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was wearing. A Tommy Hilfiger jacket allegedly discarded by the suspect alongside a stack of Monopoly money in Central Park. Another jacket, rumored to be a $225 sherpa-lined Levi’s hoodie, worn in photos widely circulated as the manhunt intensified. And a backpack by San Francisco-based company Peak Design, CEO Peter Dering told the New York Times, saying that as soon as he saw photos of the shooter’s bag, he reached out to police to offer his assistance.
But while Hilfiger and Levi’s, per GQ, are seeing a spike in sales of the items Mangione appeared to be wearing, Peak Design is facing threats of a boycott. Hilfiger and Levi’s have remained mum about the shooting, but Dering’s admitted eagerness to assist the investigation has spurred allegations of “snitching” against Luigi Mangione, who many see as an admirable, sympathetic figure willing to stand up against the broken US health care system.
The day after the shooting, Dering told the Times that he’d received “about 10 texts” from people who recognized the suspect’s backpack in surveillance photos released by the New York Police Department. The grey bag was a version of the company’s Everyday Backpack, a model sold by the company from 2016 and 2019. (The company’s website describes the current iteration of the bag as “An iconic, award-winning pack for everyday and photo carry.”)
Dering says he called the NYPD tipline “immediately,” beating even Mangione’s mother, who “told police her son could be the person seen in surveillance photos one day before his arrest,” NBC reports. Even so, Dering says that he was also behind the curve, as a tipline operator told the CEO that police had already received “hundreds” of calls identifying the bag.
But those callers didn’t give an interview to the NYT, and Dering did, saying, “Of course, my instinct would be to do whatever is possible to help track this person down.”
A look at Peak Design’s recent Instagram posts reveals the results of that instinct. A two-week-old post on the company’s latest brick-and-mortar outpost has received a recent flood of negative comments, such as one that reads, “Yall effed with the wrong people. Enjoy what is left of your company.” A December 3 post on corporate philanthropy has 29 comments, many of them containing the rat emoji.
While the backlash appears to have started with Dering’s initial—and widely reported—offer to assist police, it increased velocity after rumors spread via social media and Reddit that Dering used a serial number associated with the backpack to share information about Mangione with investigators. The clamor grew loud enough that on Saturday, the company announced via its social channels and on its website that “Peak Design has not provided customer information to police and would only do so under the order of a subpoena” and that only customers who voluntarily register the product with the company (as one would for warranty services) can be traced back to their bag.
Dering also sent an email to customers decrying the rumors and saying that the controversy has led to safety concerns within the company, Axios reports. “There is misinformation being shared on social media, that has triggered many serious threats for the safety of not only me, but our employees as well,” Dering wrote. “I ask that you please consider the facts we are providing here and continue to instill trust in the Peak Design brand.”
