Dec 9 (Reuters) - Authorities on Monday were questioning

a man in central Pennsylvania in connection with last week's

murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, several media

outlets reported.

Investigators received a tip about the man after he was

spotted at a McDonald's in Altoona by someone who thought he

looked like the suspected killer, CNN reported, citing unnamed

officials.

Altoona police found him in possession of a gun, silencer

and false identification cards similar to those used by the

gunman, according to the network. One of the cards matched the

ID used by the suspect to check into a hostel in Manhattan

before the shooting, the New York Times reported.

The man has been arrested on local charges, possibly in

connection with presenting a false ID to police, and New York

detectives are headed to Altoona, according to the Times.

Neither the New York City Police Department nor the Altoona

Police Department responded to a request for comment.

Thompson, 50, was gunned down outside a Manhattan hotel

early on Wednesday morning by a masked man who appeared to wait

for his arrival before shooting the executive from behind.

The suspect, who has not been identified by police, ran from

the scene and then rode a bike into Central Park. Surveillance

video captured him exiting the park and taking a taxi to a bus

station in northern Manhattan, where police believe he used a

bus to flee the city.

Thompson, a father of two, had been CEO of UnitedHealth

Group's ( UNH ) insurance unit since April 2021, part of a

20-year career with the company. He had been in New York to

attend the company's annual investor conference.

A UnitedHealth ( UNH ) spokesperson declined to comment on the

latest reports.