In the wake of the shock murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan, the high-end security industry is booming.
The December shooting shocked America, showing that ultra-wealthy executives are not immune to street violence and raising fears of copycat killings.
Healthcare industry heavyweights, executives and politicians across the country, from New York to California, are going to great lengths to secure their homes with infrared robot cameras, bulletproof glass and secret doors to safe rooms.
Jon and Eva own Michelle Harris Fortified estatea Texas-based company that provides properties with an “internal armor” designed to complement the existing aesthetic of any home – from a glass-walled mansion in Florida to a Victorian-style estate in the Hamptons.
The security power couple said they have seen an increase in customer inquiries of about 50 percent since Luigi allegedly shot Mangione Thompson on December 4.
‘There has been an increase in the number of calls [from potential clients] since the CEO shooting,” Eva told DailyMail.com this week.
‘If we see an increase, it is usually because there has been a burglary in a neighborhood, but sometimes there is a connection between what is happening in the news.’
“We’ve definitely had more direct clients – as well as designers incorporating safe spaces into their plans,” Jon added.
In the wake of the shock murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan, the high-end security industry is booming. The owners of Fortified Estates, which provides “armor” to the ultra-wealthy, said they have seen a 50 percent increase in calls
In the photo: Fortified Estate employees demonstrate the impenetrability of a door fitting
Jon and Eva Michelle Harris (both pictured above) own Fortified Estate, a Texas-based company that retrofits properties with interior “armor” designed to complement the existing aesthetic in any home – from a glass-walled townhouse walls in Florida to a Victorian-style Hamptons estate
On average, Fortified Estate works on approximately 30 projects per month, ranging from $9,000 in bulletproof door hardware to multi-million dollar mansion renovations.
The security doors are the most popular feature, and the latest wave of customers are also asking for hidden exits, Eva said.
Fortified Estate creates fixtures that complement the existing aesthetic
“It looks like a closet, but it’s actually a door that leads to another room,” she explained.
‘An intruder doesn’t know there’s another room. But as someone who lives in the house itself, you don’t want to feel like you’re living in a bank vault or prison.”
Fortified specializes in subtlety, with safety features designed to blend in with a range of interiors. “We connect with the aesthetic that already exists,” Eva said. “It’s very common.”
The company, founded by Jon in 2018, also saw a marked increase in demand during and after seismic events, including the 2021 storming of the Capitol, the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel and this year’s US presidential election.
Last year’s Hamas raid caused the biggest wave, bringing in about ten times the usual amount of cases. This came mainly from synagogues and members of the Jewish community who felt threatened by the rise of anti-Semitism in the US.
Fortified typically delivers to homes of CEOs and political figures, along with the entrances of embassies, major Fortune Global 500 companies, state courts and police stations, and even Department of Homeland Security buildings.
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot at point-blank range on December 4
The company integrates panic or safe rooms into many of its homes: a secret space designed to blend in with a bedroom or closet, providing access to a designated security specialist available by phone or text message.
Many customers also choose to install infrared robotic cameras in their second homes, allowing them to keep an eye on their palatial estates even from a yacht in the Mediterranean.
Pictured: A complicated handle from Fortified
Meanwhile, ballistic panels can be installed beneath wood paneling as an extra layer of protection, complete with security doors and openable bulletproof windows.
Customers also commission Fortified to install gun safe rooms: a protective vault for storing weapons, art, money and other valuables.
The rooms are “hardened against fires, storms and all forms of human attack,” according to Fortified’s website.
The rise in demand for high-end domestic security services comes amid calls for violence against corporate bosses by cult-like fans of accused killer Mangione, who police say was found with a manifesto expressing ill will toward corporate America.
In the days following the murder, alarming “wanted” posters featuring top health care officials were put up in New York City.
The menacing signs were spotted on Canal Street – one of Manhattan’s busiest thoroughfares – flanked by the red and black words: “Wanted. Denying medical care for corporate profits. Healthcare CEOs should not feel safe.”
Fortified properties are fitted with ‘armor’ designed to complement the existing aesthetic of any home – from a glass-walled mansion in Florida to a Victorian-style Hamptons estate
Customers also commission Fortified to install gun safe rooms – a highly secure safe for storing guns, art, money and other expensive belongings
Ballistic panels can be mounted under wood paneling as an extra layer of protection, complete with security doors – and bulletproof windows as pictured above
Along with the increase in homeland security, some CEOs have also responded by hiring fake intruders to investigate possible flaws in their security credentials, according to Tim Gallagher, the chief security officer at research firm Nardello.
Major companies have also become more vigilant, including Goldman Sachs, which brought in extra security for a recent conference in Lower Manhattan.
Mangione, an Ivy League engineering graduate, was arrested on December 9 shortly after eating a hash brown at a McDonald’s in Altoona, PA.
Police spotted the alleged killer after a restaurant employee recognized him from surveillance footage the NYPD shared online after the shooting in Midtown Manhattan.
He was later charged with manslaughter for the killing of Thompson, 50, just before 7am on Wednesday outside the Hilton hotel, where the executive was due to give a speech later that day to fund heavy hitters.
Mangione appears to have led police on a 280-mile manhunt from New York City’s 6th Avenue to the small Pennsylvania town of Altoona, about 100 miles east of Pittsburgh.
The shooter left a trail of overt clues as to his motive, including ammunition with the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” and a bag of Monopoly board game money in his backpack, left in Central Park.
The bulletproof doors are the most popular feature, starting at $9,000 per fitting
Many of the homes integrate panic or safe rooms – a bulletproof secret room designed to blend in with a bedroom or closet, providing access to a designated security specialist available by phone or text message
Fortified Estate said customer inquiries are estimated to have increased by 50 percent since Luigi Mangione allegedly shot Brian Thompson on December 4. (Image: Mangione arrived for his extradition hearing at the Blair County Courthouse in Pennsylvania last week)
Officials believe the bullet etchings refer to the ‘three D’s of insurance’ – tactics used by US insurance giants to deny patient claims.
This motive seemed to be even more clearly outlined in a handwritten manifesto that police seized from Mangione during his arrest.
“For the FBI, I will keep this brief because I respect what you do for our country,” the three-page document reads. “To spare you a lengthy investigation, I clearly state that I have not collaborated with anyone.”
“I apologize for any conflict or trauma, but it had to be done,” the document adds. “Honestly, these parasites just got it.”
Mangione is also believed to have had a ghost gun with him, believed to be the rare World War II-inspired 9mm pistol used in Thompson’s murder. which the New York Post reported was a Swiss-made Brugger & Thomet VP9, and a silencer.
He will appear in court in New York at a later date.