After nearly four months of eluding authorities, an escapee from a Pennsylvania prison has been apprehended as he exited a gym over 200 miles away.
Isaiah Tilghman, 33, had disappeared from the Blair County Prison in Hollidaysburg on December 3, 2023. He had been incarcerated for drug-related offenses and parole violation.
The US Marshals Service revealed on Friday that their officers had dedicated months to tracking down Tilghman, following leads suggesting he was on the move throughout Pennsylvania. Their efforts culminated in Philadelphia, where Tilghman was believed to have been residing for the past week.
On Wednesday, Marshals conducted surveillance in the Kensington area of the city. Observing Tilghman emerging from a residence on the 1800 block of East Schiller Street on Friday morning, they swiftly mobilized.
Following Tilghman to a Planet Fitness on Aramingo Avenue, the Service promptly enlisted the Philadelphia Police Department and K-9 units to aid in the operation.
Upon Tilghman’s exit from the gym, he was met with a formidable array of law enforcement personnel who swiftly took him into custody.
“This arrest was a result of Fugitive Task Forces in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, diligently working together, to capture a dangerous escapee,” remarked Robert Clark, Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal for the Eastern Pennsylvania Fugitive Task Force, in a press release. “The Marshals Service is unequivocally the best in the business at finding people who do not wish to be found and this arrest reinforces that fact.”
In addition to his prior charges, Tilghman now faces further legal consequences related to his escape. He was relocated to an undisclosed correctional facility as of Friday afternoon.
