Inmate climbed fence, pushed through razor wire in attempted escape from Chester County Prison

Inmate captured after escape attempt at Chester County Prison

An inmate attempted to escape from Chester County Prison Wednesday afternoon, but was quickly apprehended, officials say.

WEST CHESTER, Pa. - A Chester County Prison inmate is back in custody after investigators say he climbed a fence and pushed through razor wire during an attempted escape.

What we know:

Investigators say 35-year-old Thomas Hackett tried to free himself from the prison recreation yard around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Prison guards first became aware of the escape attempt when they noticed several inmates looking towards a section of razor wire atop a fence.

Officials say Hackett was caught in the razor wire and eventually pushed through it onto the roof of the prison. 

Hackett's escape attempt ended when he jumped from the roof and was stopped by a corrections officer before he could reach the next layer of fencing.

He suffered multiple cuts during the escape attempt and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. He was returned to the prison on Wednesday night.

The backstory:

Prison officials say Hackett was incarcerated at Chester County Prison after he was charged in June with Indecent Exposure and Open Lewdness in Phoenixville.

He is now facing an Attempted Escape charge.

Local perspective:

Chester County Prison is the same facility that Danelo Cavalcante famously escaped from in August 2023, which sparked a massive two-week manhunt.

Cavalcante, who was incarcerated for murdering his girlfriend, acrobatically climbed two walls in a prison rec yard, got through barbed wire, and onto the roof.

The Brazilian native evaded police and search parties by skillfully navigating lush, rural terrain in the Philadelphia countryside. 

After several sightings and run-ins with frightened residents that lived nearby, Cavalcante was captured near hiding behind a business not far from the prison.