NBC10’s Randy Gyllenhaal reports on the search for Danelo Cavalcante Tuesday morning after Pennsylvania State Police said the convicted killer “is armed.” Owen J. Roberts schools are closed amid the manhunt.
What to Know
- Danelo Cavalcante, the convicted murderer who has eluded police for a week and a half after escaping the Chester County Prison, was spotted again in South Coventry Township Monday night and is armed with a weapon, Pennsylvania State Police said.
- An emergency notification from Pennsylvania State Police was sent out by Chester County 911 at 10:46 p.m. reporting Cavalcante was spotted in the area of Ridge Road, Coventryville Road and Daisy Point Road.
- Residents are being asked to lock all of their external doors and windows, secure their vehicles and remain indoors. They’re also being told to review their surveillance cameras and contact police if they spot anything suspicious. Owen J. Roberts School District schools are closed Tuesday.
Editor's Note (Sept. 12, 2023, 9:45 a.m.): This story is no longer being updated. For Tuesday updates on the search for Danelo Cavalcante, click here.
Danelo Cavalcante is armed as the manhunt for the escaped killer in Chester County enters its 13th day Tuesday morning.
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'He is armed'
Pennsylvania State Police posted early Tuesday on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that troopers are "pursuing Danelo Cavalcante in the area of Ridge Rd/Coventryville Rd/Daisy Point Rd in South Coventry Twp., Chester Co."
"He is armed," police wrote. "Residents in the area are asked to lock all doors and windows, secure vehicles, and remain indoors. Do not approach. Call 911 if seen."
At a Tuesday morning news conference, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens revealed what he called "significant developments in the investgation.
Bivens said first a driver saw someone crouched along the side of Fairview road, west of Route 100 ,but that the man was gone by the time she turned around. A tactical team quickly rushed to the that seen and police found Cavalcante's prison shoes near a muddy track.
Then around 10:10 p.m., a resident on Coventryville Road said that a shirtless man -- matching Cavalcante's description -- stole a .22-caliber rifle with a scope and flashlight mounted on it on it from his garage, Bivens said. That homeowner used his own pistol to fire at Cavalcante.
Police don't believe the resident struck Cavalcante.
Police put a new perimeter in place.
An emergency notification from Pennsylvania State Police was sent out by Chester County 911 at 10:46 p.m. Monday to residents within a 3-mile radius reporting Cavalcante was spotted in that area, which is mostly rural in the northern part of Chester County.
"Cavalcante is considered armed and extremely dangerous," Bivens said.
If you see Cavalcante, do not approach him, police said. Instead call 911 immediately. You can also call 717-562-2987 with general tips and information.
Schools closed as manhunt ramps up
The most recent search area is near Owen J. Roberts High School. Out of caution, the Pottstown based OJR school district closed all its schools and offices Tuesday.
"The safety and security of our students and staff remains our top priority," school district superintendent Will Stout wrote in a letter to OJR Families. "We know that this situation is stressful and upsetting for our entire community."
Heavy police presence in East Nantmeal Township
Prior to the South Coventry Township sightings of Cavalcante, there was a heavy police presence in the Chester Springs community as well as East Nantmeal Township Monday evening. Officers acting on tips flooded Fairview Road in Glenmoore, searching through the woods with flashlights.
Nicholas Strong, a Glenmoore resident, told NBC10 he was driving on Nantmeal Road when he was pulled over by police because he didn’t pull over right away.
“He said, ‘Do you know what’s going on right now?’ And I said, ‘The manhunt,’” Strong told NBC10. “And they said, ‘OK, you’re driving and you look suspicious.’ And that’s why there’s 10 to 15 cops on me.”
People in the areas where the search is now focused said they don't normally lock doors so it's very out of the ordinary to do so.
New reward and new search tactics
Cavalcante has eluded capture since breaking out of Chester County Prison nearly two weeks ago. Cavalcante slipped out of the 8-square-mile search area over the weekend, stole a dairy delivery van that had been left unlocked with the keys in it, and drove it until it practically ran out of gas.
Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens provided an update Monday afternoon to say they have moved from a "containment model" to using various means of efforts that, he claimed, have been successful in the past.
"We don't have a defined search area at this point," he said.
Just what this new effort would entail, Bivens wouldn't go into specifics, but did say that there is a "whole array of technology that is being utilized," as the search continues.
He did note, however, that residents would continue to see an increased presence in East Nantmeal Township after, officials believe, Cavalcante abandoned a stolen van at a farm there on Sunday.
Also, when questioned if Cavalcante's sister, who has been arrested and is facing deportation, had provided Cavalcante with any assistance in his escape, Bivens replied that she had not.
"She chose not to assist," he said.
He also warned anyone who may consider helping Cavalcante that they would be prosecuted if they help him with his escape.
However, Bivens said he does worry that the escaped killer may obtain -- or may already have obtained -- a new vehicle.
"We remain concerned that Cavalcante will obtain another vehicle to facilitate his escape," said Bivens.
Still, Bivens said on Monday afternoon that he believed Cavalcante was still in the Chester County area as he needs resources and has friends and family members in the region.
"I don't believe he has the resources to get out of Pennsylvania," he said.
Bivens also announced that the reward for information leading to Cavalcante's capture has been increased to $25,000.
Ongoing manhunt
Over the weekend, Cavalcante stole the unlocked van, which had the keys inside, sometime Saturday night about three-quarters of a mile from the northern perimeter of the search area where hundreds of law enforcement officers had been searching for him.
Bivens vowed to “aggressively continue” the search with the aid of federal, state, county and local resources and expressed confidence that the fugitive would eventually be recaptured.
“This is a minor setback,” he said. “We’ll get him, it’s a matter of time."
At a Monday news conference, authorities rejected the suggestion that they haven't been using enough searchers and insisted that the effort — in its 12th day Monday — favors them, despite the fact that there is no longer a well-defined perimeter or any fresh sightings to report.
Robert Clark, the supervisor of the U.S. Marshals fugitive task force in Philadelphia, contended that law enforcement teams have the advantage now that Cavalcante is apparently in a less rural environment in suburban Philadelphia.
“Now we’re going to prepare for the long game, and the long game is what we do best,” Clark said.
Police allowed to use deadly force if needed
Bivens said state police are authorized to use deadly force if Cavalcante isn’t actively surrendering.
Other agencies involved in the search may have their own rules, he noted.
Several law enforcement agencies put more stringent requirements in place for preauthorization of different levels of force in the wake of national protests and calls for policing reforms after the killing of George Floyd by police.
The Pennsylvania State Police regulations republished in July outline specific scenarios where deadly force is justified including to prevent the escape of someone who has committed a violent felony such as murder and who could pose a threat to the community.
By preauthorizing the use of deadly force for troopers if Cavalcante does not surrender, State Police officials are eliminating a potential delay.
A new appearance and a stolen van
Baily’s Dairy said on its Facebook page that their delivery van was stolen between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Saturday “while we were still here working.”
The theft wasn't noticed for hours, and in the meantime Cavalcante, 34, traveled more than 20 miles northeast to East Pikeland Township and Phoenixville. Shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday he went to an East Pikeland Township home of a person he had worked with several years ago and asked to meet with him, police said.
The homeowner was at dinner with his family and didn't respond. Shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday, police said, Cavalcante went to the Phoenixville area home of another former work associate, who wasn't home.
Both called local police first, who then contacted state police around 12:30 a.m. on Sunday, Bivens said.
Doorbell video images showed Cavalcante to be now clean-shaven and wearing a yellow or green hooded sweatshirt, black baseball cap, green prison pants and white shoes, police said. The stolen van was found at 10:40 a.m. Sunday in a field behind a barn in East Nantmeal Township, about 15 miles west of Phoenixville.
Bivens said he believed Cavalcante abandoned the vehicle at least in part because it was low on fuel. While law enforcement was searching the immediate area for any signs of him, authorities were concerned that he would attempt to obtain another vehicle or had already done so.
“I do not have a report of a stolen vehicle; I anticipate that we will,” Bivens said.
Pennsylvania manhunt for 'dangerous man' makes global headlines
Cavalcante escaped from the Chester County Prison while awaiting transfer to state prison on Aug. 31 after being sentenced to life for fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend in 2021. Prosecutors say he wanted to stop her from telling police that he’s wanted in a killing in his home country of Brazil.
Police on Saturday had reported two more confirmed sightings of Cavalcante within the search area around the Longwood Gardens botanical park, the center of the search in recent days. Bivens said Friday that about 400 personnel were taking part in the search, including tactical teams, tracking dogs, and officers on horseback as well as aircraft.
Despite the massive searches, Bivens said the area had some underground tunnels and “very large drainage ditches” that were impossible to secure completely. Police had been planning to use close to 600 personnel Monday for “one massive sweep” of the search area, he said.
Authorities on Friday announced the firing of the prison tower guard on duty when Cavalcante scaled a wall by crab-walking up from the recreation yard, climbed over razor wire, ran across a roof and jumped to the ground. His escape went undetected for more than an hour until guards took a headcount.
Cavalcante’s escape and the search has attracted international attention and became big news in Brazil, where prosecutors in Tocantins state say he’s accused of “double qualified homicide” in the 2017 slaying of Válter Júnior Moreira dos Reis in Figueirópolis, which they allege was over a debt the victim owed him in connection with repair of a vehicle.
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