Video: Escaped Chester County prisoner Danelo Cavalcante spotted on home surveillance camera
POCOPSON TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Officials in Chester County announced their search for escaped convict, Danelo Cavalcante was ongoing Sunday afternoon. In the announcement, they stated they have beefed up search with additional law enforcement personnel on the ground, along with the already hundreds in search for Cavalcante.
Police are now also working with residents in their homes, making sure neighbors are safe and the convict is not on anyone's property.
Cacalcante was captured on video by nearby home surveillance cameras early Saturday morning, in Pocopson Township.
The Chester County District Attorney’s Office says Danelo Cavalcante, 34, was spotted on a camera about 1.5 miles from Chester County Prison early Saturday morning – about a day and a half after he escaped from the prison.
Authorities say he was spotted on the 1800 block of Lenape Road around 12:30 a.m. and was wearing prison-issued pants, a light colored t-shirt, and white sneakers.
"Our presence in the area has only gone up since this positive sighting last night," stated Supervisory Deputy with the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, Robert Clark. "The reason we had that sighting is because the public was vigilant."
His appearance also remained unchanged, as he was described as having long black curly hair. He was also seen wearing a backpack. He’s been described as a five-feet tall, 120 pounds.
Search continues for convicted murder who escaped Pennsylvania prison
Hundreds of law enforcement agents searched Friday for a man recently convicted of murder in Pennsylvania for the fatal stabbing of his ex-girlfriend, a day after he escaped from a county jail. Danelo Cavalcante, 34, is also wanted in his native Brazil in a separate slaying and is considered an extremely dangerous person, authorities said.
Local police say they also received a report of an attempted burglary around 11:30 p.m. on the 1000 block of Ballintree Lane in Pocopson Township.
Residents in the area are being asked to remain indoors and to lock their homes and vehicles as law enforcement conduct a search.
West Chester University officials canceled all remaining Chester County classes Friday "out of an abundance of caution." Longwood Gardens shuttered their doors over the weekend, on the advice of law enforcement as the escapee was sought. Several roads are shut down as police continue to canvass a radius that spans several miles in each direction.
Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan is also asking neighbors to check their home surveillance cameras and to contact police if they observe anything suspicious.
In an afternoon press conference, giving an update to the active search for Cavalcante, DA Ryan explained, "Police have responded to well over 100 tips from various neighbors in the area, including allegations of possible break-ins to residential homes in the vicinity within a one to two-mile radius of the prison. There is evidence to suggest that he is still in that local area. We do not believe he has gotten more than one to two miles away from the prison. Law enforcement is still actively, actively canvasing the area. We believe that he may be in a residential location that is comprised with hundreds of homes in a deeply wooded area at this time. But our search remains active. Please remain vigilant with your observations, especially given the long holiday weekend where people may be out of town. It's very likely that the suspect would attempt to break into one of those homes."
Cavalcante was recently convicted of fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend in front of her children in 2021. He was sentenced to life in prison late last month.
Authorities say he is also wanted in connection with a 2017 murder in Brazil.
Anyone with information about Cavalcante’s is asked to contact police immediately. Authorities say a $10,000 reward is offered for anyone with information that leads to Cavalcante's capture.