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Convicted killer Danelo Cavalcante, 34, was apprehended Wednesday morning in Chester County after a manhunt that lasted nearly two weeks.
Pennsylvania State Police announced Wednesday that officers had captured the “extremely dangerous” prison escapee after he was found in South Coventry Township.
A 9:30 a.m. press conference will be carried live on this page.
He was apprehended while wearing what appeared to be a Philadelphia Eagles sweatshirt.
Cavalcante’s arrest comes after he had reportedly obtained a firearm and, law enforcement officials believed he was corralled in the area of South Coventry Township in Chester County.
As of about 8:20 a.m. on Wednesday, police have not yet revealed details on how Cavalcante was apprehended.
The moment he was captured, officials announced the arrest over the radio.
A police radio call announced the capture of Danelo Cavalcante after he spent 14 days on the run in Chester County.
Police plan to provide an update on the situation at 9:30 a.m.
The update from officials will be livestreamed at the top of this article.
Two weeks on the run
Monday night the Pennsylvania State Police said they received reports of Cavalcante in the area of South Coventry Township armed with a .22-caliber firearm and alerted residents in that area.
Here’s a timeline of Cavalcante’s time on the lam.
Prior to Monday night, Cavalcante stole a refrigerated White Ford Transit van from Baily’s Dairy in West Chester overnight, officials said.
By 2 p.m. Sunday, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said officials had recovered the van. The vehicle was found, Bivens said, behind a barn in East Nantmeal Township at about 10:40 a.m.
Early Sunday, the Upper Providence Township Police Department warned residents in the Phoenixville area that the escaped killer was spotted on a ring camera in East Pikeland Township that morning.
That location was about 25 miles away from where law enforcement officials had set up a search area around Longwood Gardens after he was spotted there earlier in the week.
Cavalante’s capture comes after he had been spotted more than ten times since his Thursday, Aug. 31 escape from the Chester County Prison in Pocopson Township.
He had been caught on trail cameras on Longwood Gardens’ property on Monday, September 4. Officials said Tuesday, Sept. 5 that the images showed that he had seemingly gathered some supplies during his time on the run as he had a backpack, sling bag and hooded sweatshirt that he didn’t have when he left the prison.
Authorities said Cavalcante, was also caught on a residential surveillance camera on Sept. 2 around 12:30 a.m. on the 1800 block of Lenape Road in Pocopson Township, just 1.5 miles from the prison.
At that time, he was wearing pants, a light-colored t-shirt, and white sneakers and his appearance has remained unchanged, according to the Chester County District Attorney’s office.
Police released the surveillance footage where Cavalcante could be seen walking through a wooded area.
Police also reported an attempted burglary at 11:30 p.m., Friday, August 31 on the 100 block of Ballintree Lane in Pocopson Township, but have not said if this reported incident was related.
Over the course of the days-long search, law enforcement officials searched railroads, the Brandywine Creek and other possible routes out of Chester County, Chester County DA Deb Ryan said.
Cavalcante is a Brazilian man who fluently speaks Portuguese and Spanish and some English and stands around 5 feet tall and weighs around 120 pounds, officials said.
“This is a very, very, very dangerous man,” Clark said while urging people “not to approach Cavalcante.”
Also, during the course of the manhunt, law enforcement played a recording of Cavalcante’s mother asking him to turn himself in peacefully, law enforcement officials said.
Those who live in Pocopson Township may have heard the recordings in Portuguese being played from police vehicle loudspeakers or from a helicopter.
How did Cavalcante escape prison?
On Wednesday, Sept. 6, the prison’s warden Howard Holland shared the video of his escape. He can be seen approaching a small hallway at an outdoor exercise yard with another person. Cavalcante then stretches to span the length of the hallway before working his way sideways up the wall and onto the roof.
They did, however, reveal that it didn’t appear that Cavalcante had help in his escape.
He was first reported missing around 8:50 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 31, the Chester County District Attorney’s Office said.
However, officials didn’t know the specific time frame for when the prison noticed Cavalcante was missing.
As soon as the prison learned of the escape they began to take measures to report the escape, officials said.
The Chester County Prison county guard was fired on Sept. 7 after 18 years as a corrections officer, county spokesperson Michelle Bjork said.
According to court records, Cavalcante was convicted of first-degree murder earlier this month of stabbing and killing his ex-girlfriend Deborah Brandao in front of her children in April 2021. He was sentenced to life in prison without the chance for parole just last week.
As a murder convict, Cavalcante was set to be transferred to a state facility in the days ahead.
Ryan said it’s normal protocol in Chester County for someone convicted of murder or other serious crimes to remain in the county jail for up to 30 days to allow them time to file a post-sentence motion. “There was no evidence that he was considered a flight risk,” Ryan said.
Cavalcante’s legal team had just filed a post-sentence motion seeking a new sentence or new trial on Friday, Ryan said.
A $25,000 reward for Danelo Cavalcante’s capture
A $25,000 reward was being offered “for any information that leads to the capture of Cavalcante,” the DA’s office said.
By Friday morning, the DA’s office added to the phone numbers tipsters could reach out to:
“If anyone knows or sees anything at all that they suspect may involve this man, please call 9-1-1 or the U.S. Marshal tipline at 1-877-WANTED2 (1-877-926-8332) immediately,” the DA’s office said.
It is currently unclear if anyone would be eligible for this reward now that Cavalcante has been apprehended.
An attorney who represented Cavalcante in his murder trial has yet to return a request for comment from NBC10.
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