State police reported Wednesday morning that Danelo Cavalcante, who escaped from Chester County Prison and evaded investigators for nearly two weeks, had been apprehended alive in Pennsylvania.
Late on Tuesday until early on Wednesday, hordes of highly armed police were observed enforcing a cordon in the South Coventry Township region. It remained unknown how and where police authorities located the fugitive.
A law enforcement source informed Fox News that Cavalcante was apprehended by state police and U.S. Border Patrol teams close to the residence where he had stolen a 0.22-caliber rifle with a mounted scope and torch on Monday night. Cavalcante had gotten away from the homeowner, who had fired a revolver at him but missed.
Residents had been advised by the Pennsylvania State Police to stay inside, lock their doors, and protect their vehicles. Authorities had described Cavalcante as “extremely dangerous” and “armed.”
In the hunt for Cavalcante, more than 500 law enforcement agents from local, state, and federal authorities were active. The search was conducted mostly on rugged, forested terrain.
As communities remained on edge due to the manhunt, numerous school districts were compelled to close for a number of days.
On August 31, Cavalcante, 34, escaped from a prison in Chester County. Last week, authorities made a video of Cavalcante’s breakout, which showed the convicted murderer crab-walking up a wall. Before escaping the prison, according to officials, he allegedly pushed through more razor wire, went across the roof, climbed a different fence, and scaled yet another barrier.
In 2021, Cavalcante fatally stabbed his ex-girlfriend 38 times in front of her children. He was sentenced to life in jail and was awaiting transfer to a state prison to carry out his sentence. He was also wanted for the murder of a man in Brazil in 2017 because the victim owed the killer money for fixing a car. He apparently entered the country illegally.
Following the conclusion of the “nightmare” manhunt, Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell, and Michelle Kichline issued a statement in which they stated that immediate modifications have been made to the Chester County Prison.
“Chester County Prison officials have made some immediate changes to bolster security in the prison, have brought in security contractors to make permanent changes to the exercise yards, and are reviewing and – where needed – changing procedures for both security measures and communication to residents who live close to the prison,” the statement read.
The commissioners also expressed gratitude to the community, businesses, school systems, and law enforcement for their assistance during the search.
Eleni Cavalcante, his sister, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and may be deported due to “some immigration issues,” police said on Sunday, adding that she was not assisting them in their investigation.
Iracema Cavalcante, Cavalcante’s mother, had sent a message via helicopter to the authorities throughout the manhunt appealing to her son to turn himself in.
In a Tuesday interview with The New York Times from her home in rural Brazil, Iracema Cavalcante said that her son’s life of suffering in the Brazilian savanna’s backcountry had prepared him to survive on his own. She added that ever since his escape, he has evaded capture in wooded areas and tiny towns.
Iracema Cavalcante stated that her son may be better off dying than spending the rest of his life in prison, even though she did not contest his culpability in the deaths of his ex-girlfriend in Pennsylvania in 2021 and a man in Brazil in 2017.
“If it’s to go to a place to suffer and die in that place, it’s better to die soon,” she told the newspaper. “You don’t have to suffer so much, just to die later.”
