The search for an escaped Pennsylvania prison inmate stretched into its 12th day Monday as authorities descended on East Nantmeal Township, Pennsylvania, where they believe Danelo Cavalcante may have been spotted, CBS Philadelphia reported.
Cavalcante, who was convicted of first-degree murder, escaped from Chester County Prison in West Chester, about an hour from Philadelphia by car, at around 8:45 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31. The 34-year-old has been seen several times since then, by physical witnesses and on surveillance tapes, according to police.
Police on Monday night issued a shelter-in-place order for certain East Nantmeal residents as they searched the area, CBS Philadelphia reported. Authorities believe Cavalcante is armed after a resident said they got into a shootout with the escaped prisoner when he broke into their home and stole a gun, according to CBS Philadelphia.
Police had set up a perimeter and shut down the nearby highway, hoping to capture the convicted murderer.
Over the weekend, authorities say Cavalcante stole a van and used it to escape the perimeters of a search area established last week, traveling to the homes of two different people, described as his former work associates, in nearby neighborhoods.
As the manhunt continued Monday afternoon in an expanded search area, Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police addressed anyone who may have “already offered assistance or who is contemplating assisting Cavalcante in any way.”
“We will prosecute you fully for those actions,” Bivens said at a news conference. “Alternatively, I would suggest that you are in a position to help facilitate the safe capture of Cavalcante. If you choose to assist us, you could be eligible for some or all of the reward that has been offered for Cavalcante’s capture.”
Chester County increased the reward by $5,000 Monday for any information leading to Cavalcante’s arrest, bringing the total amount to $25,000, Bivens announced. He said law enforcement was concerned the escapee would attempt to steal another vehicle and again warned local residents to lock their homes and cars.
Cavalcante on Saturday stole a transit van, which authorities discovered abandoned in East Nantmeal Township later that night, Bivens said at a news conference on Sunday afternoon. Investigators found that keys had been left inside the vehicle and determined that the escapee did use the van, Bivens said.
At around 9 p.m., Cavalcante attempted to contact an old work associate and asked to meet with him, but the person did not respond, according to Bivens. Doorbell surveillance footage showing a man believed to be Cavalcante was officers’ first indication that he had fled the Longwood Gardens area, where a perimeter had been established last week and search efforts were focused.
About an hour later, Cavalcante appeared at the residence of a second former work associate, who called her friend and reported the visit to state police. As of Sunday afternoon, authorities were unsure if Cavalcante had a weapon on his person, but Bivens said they have confirmed he has been inside several residences since his escape. It was unclear what Cavalcante may have taken from those locations.
Overnight Saturday, a Ring camera in East Pikeland Township recorded footage of a man wearing a baseball cap and hooded sweatshirt, who is believed to be Cavalcante, the Upper Providence Township Police Department said in a news release. The police department shared several images taken from the Ring camera.
Bivens said at Monday’s news conference that police were not notified of the sightings overnight Saturday “until well after midnight,” which would have been at least two hours after Cavalcante was last seen at around 10:30 p.m. He did not respond directly to reporters asking whether police have identified people who may have assisted Cavalcante already.
“I’m cautioning people preemptively, and we are monitoring for any possible help in a variety of ways … if we detect assistance, that will be prosecuted,” said Bivens. “I’m not going to say anything further than that. What I’m going to say is, as a warning, you will be prosecuted. There is an alternative path to try and assist with his safe capture.”
Cavalcante’s sister was taken into custody on Sunday. After declining to assist with the police search, Bivens said she was detained for overstaying a visa. “She has been entered into a deportation proceeding,” he said Monday.
There was an increased police presence in Upper Providence Township on Sunday, according to the department. Authorities asked people in the area to “remain inside and lock your vehicles and homes.” People have been encouraged to check their own surveillance devices and call 911 to report any other potential sightings of Cavalcante.
As CBS Philadelphia reported, the man seen early Sunday on the Ring camera appeared to be dressed in green pants similar to a prison uniform, as well as white sneakers. Unlike previous images released of Cavalcante, the man in surveillance footage from East Pikeland Township is clean shaven without a beard or mustache.
Cavalcante was operating a 2020 White Ford Transit van with a refrigeration unit attached to the roof, according to Pennsylvania state troopers. The vehicle has been reported as stolen by Baily’s Dairy, a farm in West Chester.
“Danelo Cavalcante is operating a 2020 White Ford Transit (van) bearing Pennsylvania registration ZST8818. The van has a refrigeration unit on the top. The vehicle is reported stolen by Baily’s Dairy,” the Pennsylvania State Police tweeted on Sunday. “Law Enforcement agencies nationwide has been advised.”
Before the newest possible sighting in East Pikeland Township, Cavalcante was last seen Friday in two separate sightings within the area of Longwood Gardens, which is densely wooded, Pennsylvania State Police confirmed on Saturday. Law enforcement had been focusing their search in that area after previous sightings suggested Cavalcante may have been hiding there, CBS Philadelphia reported.
Bivens reiterated Sunday afternoon that efforts to secure the perimeter around Longwood Gardens, where the search area was established, posed significant challenges for law enforcement.
“No perimeter is 100% secure, ever,” he said at the briefing, responding to a reporter who asked how Cavalcante was able to slip past officers stationed there.
“I’m not going to make an excuse to you. I wish it had not happened,” Bivens said. “Unfortunately, there are a lot of circumstances, there are a lot of issues associated with that property. Tunnels, very large drainage ditches, things that could not be secured. You couple that with weather, aviation being down for a night.”
Bivens noted that underground tunnels in the vicinity of a Longwood Gardens property currently under construction “could not be secured.” He said he remains “confident we will capture him, and we will bring him back into the criminal justice system.”
Cavalcante is a Brazilian national who is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish and speaks some English as well, authorities said. He was convicted of first-degree murder in August and sentenced to life imprisonment for fatally stabbing his 33-year-old former girlfriend in April 2021. Cavalcante is also wanted in connection with a homicide in Brazil. Officers said in the days following his escape that they had already investigated two burglaries while searching for Cavalcante. He is believed to have stolen various items, including a backpack and a duffel bag, from a home or car early last week.
On Wednesday, police released surveillance footage that showed Cavalcante using a crab-walk to climb the prison wall until he disappeared from view, escaping from the excercise yard on the property to the roof. That is the same route that another inmate, Igor Bolte, used to escape from the prison on May 19, officials said.
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