US Marshals tasked with finding another prison escapee: 'This is our sixth escapee since last May'

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- U.S. Marshals in Philadelphia are now looking for two escaped inmates. Isaiah Tilghman, 33, escaped from the Blair County Prison in Western Pennsylvania on December 3.

Marshals say Tilghman used a rope and the ventilation shaft to flee the prison, which is about four hours west of Philadelphia.

Investigators believe he stole a Red 2011 Ford F-150 and drove to the 3500 hundred block of Belgrade Street in Port Richmond around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. Once there, he allegedly stole a license plate from another red Ford F-150. The stolen Pennsylvania tag is ZKA 1062.

"He came down here, put a stolen tag on a car that looked exactly like the vehicle he was driving, and we presume he is now driving with that stolen tag," said Supervisory Deputy Robert Clark of the U.S. Marshals.

Tilghman was incarcerated for drug offenses and parole violations.

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Tilghman's escape comes days after 34-year-old Gino Hagenkotter walked away from a work detail on November 30 while working in an orchard behind the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center in Northeast Philadelphia. Hagenkotter was incarcerated at Riverside Correctional Facility in Holmesburg for nonviolent offenses.

Prison escapees have kept the U.S. Marshals in the Philadelphia area busy this year.

"It's unprecedented. This is our sixth escapee since last May. The most I've ever seen here," said Rob Clark, the supervisory agent in charge of the Philadelphia United States Marshals Service.

In late August into September, the nation watched as U.S. Marshals and Pennsylvania State Police descended on Chester County following the daring escape of convicted murderer 34-year-old Danelo Cavalcante.

He was found nearly two weeks later.

Soon after that escape and in the same county, Marshals were tasked with finding 31-year-old Mario Che-Tiul who escaped from a Missouri prison in June. Marshals arrested him on September 21.

In May, Ameen Hurst and Nasir Grant fled through a cut fence at the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center.

Hurst was accused of four homicides and was captured 10 days later.

Grant stood accused of drug offenses and was captured only a few days after the escape.

"It's very difficult to run two simultaneous escape investigations at the same time but we have the experience and the investigators, and we will get them," said Clark.

Anyone with information on Tilghman can call the U.S. Marshals Philadelphia Tipline at 1-866-865-TIPS(8477) or submit a tip via the USMS Tips App.