Concerns Linger After Phoenixville Man Nearly Escaped Chester County Prison

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — Concerns linger in the weeks following an escape attempt at Chester County Prison by a Phoenixville man who was incarcerated there.

The incident comes following the high profile escape of Danelo Cavalcante in 2023, sparking one of the most notorious manhunts in regional history and raising questions about the efficacy of security at the prison.

The latest incident occurred on Wednesday, Sept. 3, at around 2:30 p.m.

Thomas Hackett, 35, of Phoenixville, climbed up a fence and made it through multiple levels of razor wire, police said.

During the escape attempt, officials became aware of Hackett when a corrections officer noticed several inmates pointing towards a section of razor wire at the top of a recreational prison yard, the DA's office said.

Closer examination found that Hacket was caught in the wire.

Hackett eventually pushed through the remainder of the wire and down onto the roofline, where he jumped down to the ground and continued his escape, the DA's office said.

However, he was caught by a corrections officer before reaching the next layer of fencing and barbed wire that runs along the edge of the prison grounds.

Hackett had been taken into custody on June 12 on charges of indecent exposure and open lewdness.

Detectives and prison officials are continuing to investigate the cause of the escape.