Escaped Pennsylvania Felon Captured Leaving Philadelphia Planet Fitness

Planet Fitness calls itself a “Judgment-Free Zone.” But one patron who had been judged by a court of law found himself in handcuffs as soon as he walked out of the gym.

Isaiah Robert Tilghman, 33, a felon who escaped from a Western Pennsylvania prison nearly four months ago, was arrested by U.S. Marshals after leaving a Planet Fitness in Philadelphia on Friday.

MUGSHOT: Hollidaysburg police are asking for help finding Isaiah Robert Tilghman—who escaped from the Blair County Prison. pic.twitter.com/0NoIFxncUJ

— nik t. hatziefstathiou (@nikthehat) December 5, 2023

Tilghman fled the Blair County Prison, where he was being held on drug charges and parole violations, on December 3. The inmate then stole a red F-150 and drove across the state to get back to Philadelphia. However, Tilghman was spotted in the Kensington area of Philadelphia on Friday.

At some point, Tighman acquired a black BMW. It was this vehicle that authorities trailed to Planet Fitness. According to Fox 29, more than 20 agents were waiting for the escapee when he exited the gym.

“This arrest was a result of Fugitive Task Forces in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, diligently working together to capture a dangerous escapee,” U.S. Marshals Deputy Robert Clark said. “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.”

Fox 29 reports, “Tilghman has been charged with escape, flight to avoid apprehension, and other charges concerning the escape.”

Planet Fitness has recently been in the headlines after a controversy in Alaska. A gym goer had their membership canceled after photographing a male identifying as a female inside the women’s locker room. The gym’s decision to ban the person who took the picture has led to a boycott effort.