Ep 88 - Jeffrey Manchester, The Roofman (Half-Caf!)

Ep 88 - Jeffrey Manchester, The Roofman (Half-Caf!)

From Scream and Sugar: True Crime Coffee Hour by Sahara Harrington and Candace Durand

January 23, 2026 · 26 min · Episode 88

About this episode

This episode explores the bizarre criminal activities of Jeffrey Manchester, known as The Roofman, who executed daring burglaries across the Midwest.

Hey Spooky Squad! Welcome back to another episode of Scream and Sugar, your true crime coffee hour. Today, we’re climbing onto the rooftops for one of the strangest and most cinematic crime stories out there—the case of Jeffrey Manchester, better known as The Roofman. Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, Manchester carried out a series of daring burglaries across the Midwest, cutting through roofs and dropping into stores after hours—often without ever being seen. But this wasn’t just a story of clever theft. Behind the headlines was a former Army Ranger, a prison escape, years spent secretly living inside a Toys “R” Us, and a criminal who seemed to vanish again and again just when authorities thought they had him cornered. Was Jeffrey Manchester a criminal mastermind, a man unraveling under pressure, or something in between? In this episode, we break down the heists, the escapes, and the bizarre life of a man who quite literally lived above the law. Grab your coffee and your curiosity, and remember to stay spooky, y’all! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/scream-and-sugar-true-crime-coffee-hour--6015946/support . This content is not…

People in this episode

Hosts: Sahara Harrington, Candace Durand

Topics covered

  • true crime
  • burglaries
  • criminal mastermind
  • Jeffrey Manchester
  • Midwest crime
  • heists
  • prison escape

Keywords

  • Jeffrey Manchester
  • The Roofman
  • true crime
  • burglaries
  • Midwest
  • heists
  • prison escape

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Toys “R” Us

More episodes of Scream and Sugar: True Crime Coffee Hour

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Scream and Sugar: True Crime Coffee Hour podcast page.