Security was beefed up for Rockefeller Center’s iconic annual lighting Christmas tree Wednesday evening, hours after a masked gunman shot and killed the CEO of UnitedHealthcare outside a midtown Manhattan hotel just a few blocks away.
Chief Dept Jeffrey B. Madre said.
A split shot of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the gunman who killed the Rockefeller Christmas tree. (AP Images)
“It’s a terrible event, but people are going to enjoy the tree lighting tonight,” he said.
California Christian school shooting injures 2 boys, 5 and 6; Suspected gunman dead
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed near the Hilton Hotel on Wednesday morning.
This undated photo provided by UnitedHealth Group shows UnitedHealthcare Chief Executive Officer Brian Thompson. (AP Photo/UnitedHealth Group)
in It’s getting cold Video Sourced by Fox News Digital, Thompson was walking down a New York City sidewalk when a masked man wearing a black hooded jacket and backpack fatally shot Thompson before fleeing the scene on a bike and disappearing into Central Park.
was suspected Even bigger Like Thursday morning.
Who is UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson?
The violence didn’t stop New York City from attending the annual tradition later in the evening. Fifty thousand multicolored lights lit up the iconic tree to cheers from the crowd.
A New York Police officer stands guard at Rockefeller Center before the start of the Rockefeller Center tree lighting ceremony, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
A giant Norway spruce, this year hailing from a small Massachusetts town, is topped with a Swarovski star crown containing 3 million crystals.
The 74-foot-tall tree was cut down in West Stockbridge last month and trucked to Rockefeller Plaza. Wednesday night’s ceremony marked the culmination of the tree’s long journey to New York, which began in 2020, when the center’s head gardener spotted the tree and asked its owner if he would consider donating it.
A pedestrian stops for a security check on 51st Street after arriving at Rockefeller Center for the Christmas tree lighting ceremony, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
The popular holiday attraction atop the Rockefeller Center ice skating rink will be on view through mid-January. On Christmas Day, the tree is lit for 24 hours.
Click here to get the Fox News app
After the holiday is over, the wood is used for lumber for Habitat for Humanity.
Greg Wehner of Fox News Digital and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
