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 NYT.
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 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.
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