The True Charlotte Crime Story Behind Channing Tatum’s New ‘Roofman’ Movie
Benevolent bandit lived in a toy store on Independence
Paramount and Miramax on Wednesday released a trailer for Channing Tatum’s latest movie, Roofman, which was shot in Charlotte last fall and is based on the true local exploits of an infamous but benevolent burglar who operated in the area after escaping from prison in 2004. It was filmed on location where some of the real events actually occurred.
In the true-crime feature film, Magic Mike star Tatum plays serial robber Jeffrey Manchester, the former Army Ranger who was dubbed “Roofman” or the “Rooftop Robber” by law enforcement officials and press during his early-aughts crime spree. In the course of his criminal career, Manchester also became a member of a local church, dated a local woman and hid out in a Toys “R” Us store and an abandoned Circuit City.
The movie, directed by Oscar nominee Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine), also stars Kirsten Dunst and Peter Dinklage. It was shot in November 2024. Axios Charlotte noted at the time that residents and employees near South Clarkson Street and West Summit Avenue in South End received letters notifying them of street closures for film crews.
The trailer of the film shows Tatum reenacting the modus operandi that earned Manchester his moniker — sawing holes in the roofs of McDonald’s restaurants, dropping down into secluded spots like employee restrooms, waiting until opening or closing time to rob the employees at gunpoint, then locking them in the walk-in freezer.
A clip showing Tatum’s Manchester giving a coat to a cold employee before locking him in the freezer is based in reality. According to the Charlotte Observer, Manchester was a polite gentleman bandit, making sure employees were prepared before leaving them to their chilled detainment.
In the 1990s, Manchester joined the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. In 2000, he reportedly committed more than 40 robberies of fast food restaurants while stationed outside San Francisco. He’s estimated to have robbed as many as 60 establishments across the country.
In May 2000, while posted in North Carolina for a training exercise, Manchester robbed a Gastonia McDonald’s one night, then knocked over a second one in Belmont the following morning. The Charlotte Ledger reports that Belmont police found and arrested Manchester, who was hiding in a nearby church parking lot where he had left his car.
Manchester was convicted of the two robberies. Because he was armed with a .22-caliber rifle during his crimes and had forced people into a freezer, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison and sent to Brown Creek Correctional Institution in Polkton.
In 2004, four years into his sentence, Manchester escaped by clinging to the underside of a delivery truck leaving the prison grounds, an event depicted in the film’s trailer. It was the first-ever escape from Brown Creek.
According to Deadline, Roofman focuses on Manchester’s prison escape and the subsequent six months he spent in Charlotte.
After hitchhiking to the Queen City, Manchester hid for six months inside a Toys “R” Us store, starting in June 2004. He survived on baby food and snacks, getting his exercise after the store closed by riding a bike through its aisles.
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The 6100 E. Independence Blvd. site of the Toys “R” Us and the nearby abandoned Circuit City where Manchester also hid out is now home to Carpet Discount Warehouse and its neighbor Vizion Church at 6070 E. Independence Blvd.
While Manchester lived in Charlotte, he attended and joined the Crossroads Presbyterian Church at 6801 Monroe Road, 2 miles from the Toys “R” Us and abandoned Circuit City. He started dating a local woman, Leigh Wainscott, played in the film by Kirsten Dunst.
An incident portrayed in the trailer showing Manchester gift Wainscott’s children with toys he stole from Toys “R” Us really happened, according to Wikipedia.
To avoid being discovered during the December 2004 holiday rush, Manchester moved his living quarters to the abandoned Circuit City next door. There he settled into a room under a stairwell where he put up posters and watched DVDs during the day.
On Dec. 26, Manchester robbed the Toys “R” Us, reported the Seattle Times. When employees escaped to alert police, he was forced to flee. The police traced Manchester to his secret lair at Circuit City, discovered his fingerprint on a DVD of Catch Me If You Can (2002), ironically enough, and recaptured him on Krefeld Glen Drive off Independence Boulevard, 7 miles from the Toys “R” Us.
According to the NC Department of Adult Correction, Manchester’s release date is scheduled for Dec. 4, 2036. Our hope is that someone involved in the production of Roofman will at least send him a DVD copy, which is set for release in theaters this October.
