Jeffrey Allen Manchester (born 1971[1]) is an American convicted spree-robber and former United States Army Reserve soldier known as the 'Rooftop Robber' or simply 'Roofman' due to his modus operandi of entering his targets (most commonly McDonald's locations) by drilling through the roof and dropping in.
Once Manchester believed normal activities had begun, he would storm out of the bathroom carrying a firearm and hold up employees before ushering them into the freezer, locking them inside while he robbed the cash registers.
[4] After two years, Manchester was apprehended by North Carolina police officials on May 20, 2000, after robbing two McDonald's in the same day wielding a .22 caliber rifle.
While incarcerated at Brown Creek, Manchester worked in the prison's metal shop, attempting to use his position to devise an escape plan over the four years he would be in the facility.
[7] During the holiday rush of December 2004, Manchester moved his living quarters to an abandoned Circuit City next-door to avoid detection, creating a room under a stairwell where he painted the walls, put up posters, and passed the time watching movies during the day.
As time passed, he came under more and more suspicion as employees noticed many missing items as a result of Manchester's residence, making his plans tighter.
He spent a large amount of his time with Wainscott and her kids, bringing them toys he had pilfered from the store he lived at, and covering his seeming unemployment and homelessness with secretive whispers about a highly-confidential job for the government, saying his quarters were in a restricted office building.