Security was stepped up for the annual lighting of the iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas tree Wednesday evening, hours after a masked gunman fatally shot the CEO of UnitedHealthcare outside a downtown Manhattan hotel just a few blocks away.
Chief of Department Jeffrey B. Maddrey said there would be a “massive police presence,” including additional officers on the subway.
A split image of the gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and Rockefeller’s Christmas tree. (AP images)
“This is a terrible event, but people will continue to enjoy the lighting of the trees tonight,” he said.
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Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot dead at close range outside the Hilton Hotel on Wednesday morning.
This undated photo from UnitedHealth Group shows Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare. (AP Photo/UnitedHealth Group)
In the chilling video Obtained by Fox News Digital, Thompson is seen walking along a sidewalk in New York City when a masked man wearing a black hooded jacket and carrying a backpack fatally shoots Thompson before fleeing the scene on a bicycle and disappearing into Central Park.
The suspect was still at large from Thursday morning.
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The violence did not deter the crowd from attending New York City’s annual tradition later in the evening. Fifty thousand multi-colored lights illuminated the iconic tree, to cheers from the gathered crowd.
A New York police officer stands guard at Rockefeller Center before the start of the tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
The giant Norway spruce, which this year comes from a small town in Massachusetts, has also been awarded a Swarovski star crown with 3 million crystals.
The 70-foot tree was cut down last month in West Stockbridge and trucked to Rockefeller Plaza. Wednesday evening’s ceremony marked the culmination of the tree’s long journey to New York, which began in 2020 when the center’s head gardener saw the tree and asked the owners if they would consider donating it.
A pedestrian stops for a security checkpoint on 51st Street upon arrival at Rockefeller Center for the Christmas tree lighting ceremony, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
The famous holiday attraction, located above the Rockefeller Center ice skating rink, will be on display until mid-January. On Christmas Day the tree is illuminated for 24 hours.
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Once the holidays are over, the tree will be used as lumber for Habitat for Humanity.
Greg Wehner of Fox News Digital and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
