True story of Jeffrey Manchester the Roof Thief

He locked the establishment’s employees in the freezer. While stealing, employees would get trapped in the freezers, and he would later call the police to open the refrigerator, says the LA Times. The victims said he was polite and suggested they put on coats before locking them up.

He was sentenced to 45 years in prison, but escaped after four. Manchester was caught in May 2000 after robbing a McDonald’s in North Carolina, USA. On June 15, 2004, he escaped by clinging to a truck that took him out of prison and got rides to Charlotte, North Carolina.

Jeffrey then hid in a Toys “R” Us, a famous toy store in the United States. An employee reportedly became suspicious after some items went missing from the store and found evidence that someone was sleeping on an inflatable float behind a false wall in the store.

He changed his name to “John Zorn” and began dating a woman he met at the local church.

His girlfriend, Leigh Wainscott, helped police identify Jeffrey and set a trap to capture him. The police informed her boyfriend of her true identity, and on her birthday, “John” would pick her up for dinner at her apartment, where he was arrested as soon as he arrived.

Manchester remains in prison, scheduled for release in 2036, and helped with the development of the film. Director Derek Cianfrance tells PEOPLE he spoke to the thief four times a week for research. “The more I heard his story, the more I couldn’t believe it was real,” said the filmmaker.