Wild true story behind new Channing Tatum movie ‘Roofman’ and prisoner who hid in Toys ‘R’ Us for months
Roofman’s story is so bizarre you could be forgiven for thinking it was just typical Hollywood imagination, but the real story is equally wild.
The film Roofman, starring lead Channing Tatum, follows his character and real-life criminal Jeffrey Manchester.
Manchester, born in Sacramento, California, had built up quite a reputation as an armed robber, as he would regularly attempt to rob fast food chains via the roof.
The former military man Manchester would typically drill a hole into a roof in the evening or early morning and enter the building only to hide away, waiting for the morning staff to come in.
That is when he would step out, weapon in hand, and demand employees step into the restaurant’s refrigerator while he robbed the cash registers.
It is estimated that he robbed around 40 different locations using this method in just 2 years.
His run would eventually come to an end and Manchester was arrested in 2000 and sentenced to 45 years in prison for his string of robberies dating back as far as late 1998.
The film details how Manchester escaped prison and hid out in a Toys ‘R’ Us’ store (Paramount Pictures)
However, after 4 years, Manchester would put together a daring escape, hiding beneath a delivery truck, concealed by a plywood platform he had spray-painted in the workshop.
When out, he hitchhiked from the Brown Creek Correctional Institution to Charlotte, North Carolina and began plotting a new score.
In a seemingly unhinged choice of hideout, Manchester hid out in the backrooms of a Charlotte Toys “R” Us.
This was because they often had large storage areas that didn’t receive a lot of foot traffic.
He managed to survive off baby food, candy and other snacks, even boldly stepping out to wander around the store at night when staff had left.
In the 2004 holiday season, as foot traffic in the store picked up, he moved next door to an abandoned Circuit City.
He managed to build himself a rather comfortable living space, hanging posters and even watching movies here to pass the time.
To make things even weirder, Manchester didn’t just bide his time; he got out in the community, attending church and even going on dates and getting himself a girlfriend under the false name John Zorn.
The real Jeffrey Manchester’s mugshot (AP/North Carolina Sheriff)
On Boxing Day of that year, Manchester put his robbery plan into action and conducted his robbery in the usual way at the Toys “R” Us, but things didn’t go to plan, as two employees escaped and notified the police.
This led to authorities discovering Manchester’s hideout and realizing he was the man they had been searching for in connection with the prison escape.
Despite getting away after the robbery, Manchester didn’t leave Charlotte and was eventually recaptured when his then-girlfriend was convinced by police to help bring him in to be arrested.
He was sentenced to forty years in prison and is still serving time for his crimes in Central Prison in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Featured Image Credit: Paramount Pictures
Topics: News, US News, Channing Tatum, Film and TV
Zoë Kravitz breaks silence on Channing Tatum relationship four months after their reported split
The celebrity couple met after Kravitz cast Tatum in her movie, Blink Twice
Zoë Kravitz has spoken out on her split from Channing Tatum, four months on from the pair calling it quits.
Kravitz and Tatum met on the set of Blink Twice, which was Kravitz’s directioral debut.
She headhunted Tatum to star as the lead, Slater King, in the psychological thriller, which also features the likes of Adria Arjona, Naomi Ackie, and Christian Slater.
Kravitz, the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet, then got engaged to Tatum in October 2023, but the couple ended their relationship a year later.
Zoë Kravitz and Channing Tatum called off their engagement in October 2024 (Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Warner Bros. Pictures)
Many questions were raised about the reason behind their split, but the two Hollywood stars have seldom said anything on their break-up.
But Kravitz has now addressed their split following the release of Blink Twice late last year.
The highly anticipated movie hit theaters in August, with Tatum and The Batman star Kravitz ending their engagement just two months later.
Speaking to ELLE, the 36-year-old was asked if her break-up from Tatum has affected how she feels about Blink Twice (which has an admirable 75 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes).
“Not at all,” the actress told the magazine. “I love this thing that we made together, and I care for him very much.
“Even when you bring up how great his performance is, it warms my heart to hear that, and I’m so happy that all of it happened. I just feel so grateful that we got to go on that journey together.”
Going on to gush about her former fiancé, Kravitz continued: “He has so much more coming, and I think he’s in a place as an actor where he’s feeling really confident and people are seeing different sides of him.”
She added: “He’s got a lot to offer, so I’m excited for people to keep witnessing that.”
The former flames attended the 2021 Met Gala together (James Devaney/GC Images)
Kravitz also made some rare remarks on her ex back previously about how he was the first person who came to mind for her character of Slater King.
