A common internet horror story is the tale of someone who notices odd things around their home. They might find objects moved around, hear noises, or notice food missing. What if the reason for all these things is that someone else had been living in the house, hiding in the ceiling or behind the walls, and becoming active while the owner was away?!
Real life incidents like this have happened in homes, but what about an abandoned Circuit City? And what if we told you that part was the most benign of the story?
This is a story involves a man named Jeffrey Manchester, otherwise known as the Roofman. Why was he called this? Is it because he was an expert in roofing repair and gutter cleaning? No. It’s because he performed robberies across more than 40 different locations- mostly McDonald’s- by drilling through the roof and holding the place at gunpoint. He’d direct the staff into the walk-in freeze, close it, take all the money, then call the police so they could come to the restaurant and let the people out of the freezer.
What does this have to do with living in a Circuit City? Well, when you eventually slip up, get caught, go to prison for several years, escape from prison, and need a place to hide; an abandoned Circuit City isn’t the worst place you can go.
In fact, it was actually an upgrade to the Toys R Us he had been hiding in. While that store was populated, he could at least use the baby monitors he stole from there to keep watch on the employees and hide from them. (No really- he did that!) The Circuit City had no staff to worry about though, so he ended up making a secret compartment in the building that he hung out in and lived for six months there.
Manchester couldn’t keep up with the solitude though and eventually started going to church and mingling with the locals of the Charlotte, North Carolina area his “home” was near. This led to him dating someone an of course, needing money to pay for dinner, gifts, and the other things you’d expect a potential romantic partner to do for you, whether they’re an escaped convict or not. This pushed Manchester back into the world of robbery and his eventual downfall.
There’s actually a lot to this story, come to think of it. More attention has been given to Manchester’s story and alternate life as the Roofman lately thanks to an upcoming film project based on his life. Fittingly titled “Roofman,” it will star Channing Tatum.
The film doesn’t have a set release date yet, unlike Manchester himself, who is set for release from prison on December 4th, 2036.
