Key Point Summary – Fugitive Jeffrey Manchester

• Escaped inmate Jeffrey Manchester lived inside a Toys R Us for six months
• He posed as a churchgoer and joined the local community under a fake name
• Manchester built a secret hideout under a stairwell in the store
• He dated a parishioner and even donated toys he had stolen
• A Christmas robbery at the store led to his unmasking and capture
• Police used dogs to locate his hiding spot behind a false wall
• His story is now being adapted into a film with Channing Tatum

A Double Life Hidden in Plain Sight

In the fall of 2004, a friendly stranger named “John” joined the congregation at Crossroads Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. He offered smiles, lent a helping hand at Bible study, and even fell in love. No one suspected the truth: “John” was actually Jeffrey Manchester, a fugitive who had escaped prison months earlier and was secretly living in a Toys R Us across the street.

Manchester’s bizarre tale has now inspired a star-studded Hollywood movie, Roofman, with Channing Tatum playing the charismatic criminal and Kirsten Dunst as his unsuspecting girlfriend.

Military Man Turned Serial Robber

Born into a middle-class family in Sacramento, Manchester seemed destined for a respectable life. He joined the elite 82nd Airborne Division and started a family. But behind the image of stability, he began plotting a nationwide string of robberies.

Between 1998 and 2000, Manchester hit over 40 fast food chains from California to Massachusetts. His method was precise and shocking—he’d rappel through the roof, herd staff into freezers, and flee with the cash. Despite wielding weapons, he became known as the “most courteous thief in the nation.”

His streak ended in May 2000 after robbing two McDonald’s locations in North Carolina. Police caught him hiding in tall grass, and he was sentenced to 45 years behind bars.

The Great Escape and a Hidden Den

Manchester didn’t wait long to make another move. In June 2004, he escaped prison by clinging to the underside of a delivery truck. He didn’t run home to California—instead, he stayed in Charlotte and scouted an empty Circuit City next to a Toys R Us.

He crawled into the store through a shared wall and constructed a makeshift lair beneath a stairwell. There, he installed fake walls, Star Wars posters, Spider-Man sheets, baby monitors for surveillance, and even rigged plumbing for water. He lived off baby food and snacks, sneaking out at night to scavenge supplies and switch employee schedules for fun.

Blending In and Falling in Love

Bored and craving human connection, Manchester ventured out and found the church. His charm quickly won over Pastor Ron Smith and the congregation. He also found romance with single mom Leigh Wainscott, who believed he was a government agent. They watched movies, dined at Red Lobster, and spent time with her kids—whom he spoiled with toys.

Manchester even became the top donor at the church toy drive—using items stolen from the store he secretly called home.

The Heist That Unraveled Everything

On December 26, 2004, Manchester skipped church. That night, he robbed the very Toys R Us he was living in. Surveillance footage captured his face. When local news aired the images, Pastor Smith’s wife immediately recognized him. “That’s John,” she insisted. Police soon arrived at Smith’s office.

Despite the robbery, police couldn’t figure out where Manchester had gone. There were no signs of a break-in or escape. Then, a canine unit tracked his scent—to nowhere. The dogs kept leading officers to the stairwell. That’s when they discovered the false wall and the hidden den.

A Final Goodbye—and the SWAT Team

Although he briefly returned to his hideout, Manchester knew he was exposed and fled. But detectives learned he’d formed a strong bond with Wainscott. When they told her the truth, she was heartbroken but agreed to help capture him.

She asked him to meet one last time. On January 5, 2005, Manchester arrived with flowers. SWAT officers surrounded and arrested him without incident.

“We didn’t want to take chances,” said Sergeant Katherine Scheimreif. “He had broken into a pawn shop. We knew he might be armed.” But Manchester surrendered quietly. His run was finally over.

The Film and the Fallout

Director Derek Cianfrance is bringing the story to the big screen. Scheimreif, Pastor Smith, and officer Eddie Levins have all consulted on the project and will attend the premiere.

But not everyone is thrilled. “I worry the movie might glamorize what he did,” Scheimreif said. “He wasn’t just clever—he traumatized people. He pointed guns at kids working fast food jobs. And the toys he gave away? They were stolen.”

Now 54, Manchester is back behind bars, serving a 47-year sentence at Central Prison in Raleigh. His story may be making waves in Hollywood, but for many, the memory of “Roofman” is far from entertainment. It’s a chilling reminder of how far a polite smile can hide a dangerous lie.