United States Marshals are looking for two men who escaped separate local prisons and could be hiding out in the Philadelphia area.
According to authorities, Isaiah Robert Tilghman, 33, escaped from Blair County Prison on Dec. 3 and a license plate was recovered in Philadelphia that law enforcement believes Tilghman used after he escaped. The U.S. Marshals Service Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force was already on high alert as Gino Hagenkotter, 34, has escaped from Riverside Correctional Facility on State Road in Northeast Philadelphia on Nov. 30.
Now the manhunt efforts have doubled.
“This fugitive task force is now working two simultaneous escape investigations,” said Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert Clark. “We continue to ask the public for any tips relating to Gino Hagenkotter and Isaiah Tilghman.”
According to U.S. Marshals, Hagenkotter fled from the Riverside Correctional Facility where he was incarcerated on low-level crimes. He was last seen on surveillance video at 11:55 a.m., about 10 minutes after he escaped, heading north on the 8400 block of Hegerman Street toward Blakiston Street.
There is currently a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to Hagenkotter’s arrest. Hagenkotter is described as 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing about 160 pounds. He has black hair, brown eyes and a tattoo of a dagger on his right forearm. His last known address was on the 7700 block of Cottage Street in Philadelphia.
“While we are seeking the public’s assistance in apprehending Hagenkotter, we are also warning that anyone assisting him in his flight will be prosecuted to the fullest extent,” said Clark.
Tilghman was incarcerated on narcotics charges and Pennsylvania State Parole violations when he escaped. U.S. Marshals discovered the license plate on the 3500 block of Belgrade Street in Port Richmond on Dec. 6. Marshals believe it was from a vehicle that was stolen by Tilghman and used to arrive in Philadelphia, which is about a four-hour drive from Blair County Prison.
The Pennsylvania tag ZNR-9945 was on a red Ford F-150 similar to the red 2011 Ford F-150 stolen by Tilghman in Blair County. PA tag ZKA-1062 was taken from the Ford-150 on Belgrade Street, and investigators presume that Tilghman had switched the plates on or around the morning of Dec. 5.
Tilghman is described as 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing about 160 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair and multiple tattoos on both arms. His last known address was on the 6200 block of Dickens Avenue in Philadelphia.
Tips can be called into the U.S. Marshals Philadelphia Tipline at 866-865-TIPS (8477) or at www.usmarshals.gov.
