Around 500 law enforcement members working on Danelo Cavalcante manhunt, state police says
From CNN’s Celina Tebor
There are about 500 law enforcement members assisting in the manhunt of escaped inmate Danelo Cavalcante, Pennsylvania State Police said Tuesday.
The agencies involved include Pennsylvania State Police, the US Marshals, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to Lt. Colonel George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police.
Law enforcement is planning for an extended operating period, if necessary, Bivens said during Tuesday’s conference.
1 min ago
Escaped Pennsylvania inmate is not believed to be injured after resident fired "several shots"
From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia
Police say they have “no reason to believe” escaped inmate Danelo Cavalcante was injured as a result of a resident firing “several shots” after a rifle was stolen from the homeowner's garage.
“We have no reason to believe he is injured as a result of that shooting,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Colonel George Bivens said.
“I think he is just trying to survive and avoid being captured right now,” Bivens added.
Bivens said “several shots” were fired by the homeowner toward Cavalcante.
The escaped inmate has been considered “dangerous” from the start, so this “changes nothing,” he added.
“We’ve always considered him to be a risk, we just now absolutely know that he has a weapon," he said.
7 min ago
Police not recommending evacuations while authorities hunt for "armed and extremely dangerous" inmate
From CNN’s Celina Tebor
Pennsylvania State Police are not recommending evacuations for residents at this time amid the manhunt for escaped inmate Danelo Cavalcante, officials said Tuesday.
Police sent messages to residents within a 3-mile radius of where Cavalcante was spotted overnight Monday, Lt. Colonel George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police said during Tuesday’s news conference.
Cavalcante "is considered armed and extremely dangerous," Bivens said Tuesday.
12 min ago
Police found footprints that matched escaped Pennsylvania inmate's prison shoes
From CNN’s Celina Tebor
Police found footprints in mud that were “identical” to the footprints of the shoes that escaped inmate Danelo Cavalcante wore in prison, Pennsylvania officials said during a news conference Tuesday.
After locating the footprints, Cavalante’s prison shoes were found abandoned, Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police told reporters.
A resident in the area reported that a pair of work boots had been stolen from her porch, Bivens said.
9 min ago
Police ask residents in the search area to secure their homes as manhunt for killer continues
From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia
Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Colonel George Bivens speaks during a press conference on Tuesday. KYW
Police in Pennsylvania continue to hunt for escaped inmate Danelo Cavalcante, who is “considered armed and extremely dangerous," Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Colonel George Bivens said.
Throughout the night, several reverse 911 calls were sent to residents in the area, he added. Residents in the search perimeter have been asked to secure their homes.
13 min ago
Escaped Pennsylvania killer is "considered armed and extremely dangerous," police says
From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia
Escaped Pennsylvania killer Danelo Cavalcante "is considered armed and extremely dangerous," said Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police on Tuesday.
"He is now armed with a .22 caliber rifle with a scope and flashlight mounted on it," Bivens added during a press conference.
He urged residents to be safe and contact authorities with any available information on Cavalcante as he detailed the perimeter of search.
There were a “number of significant developments overnight,” Bivens said — notably at 10:10 p.m. when a call was received from a resident indicating a short, shirtless and Hispanic male “entered his garage” when the resident was in it, and grabbed a .22 rifle.
The resident drew a pistol and fired at Cavalcante, Bivens said.
17 min ago
How the escaped Pennsylvania killer has managed to stay on the run so long
From CNN's Nouran Salahieh
Police monitor a wooded perimeter during a manhunt for Danelo Cavalcante on September 9 in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Mark Makela/Getty Images
Danelo Cavalcante left the prison by “crab-walking” between two walls, scaling a fence and traversing across razor wire and heading into the forest.
Despite several sightings since then, police have said they’ve faced challenges as the unusually long search for Cavalcante dragged on – an effort one official has described as “tactical hide and seek.”
“We conduct fugitive investigations every day of the year across this commonwealth … most don’t lead to a protracted search like this,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said Monday.
Most escaped prisoners are captured within 24 hours, and most of them within two miles, CNN’s chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller said.
According to Bivens, the challenges in finding Cavalcante include:
The search beginning in a large, densely wooded area with many places to hide.
It was difficult to secure a search perimeter, where Cavalcante was spotted several times, because it had a “massive” underground tunnel system, large drainage ditches and thick vegetation.
Police didn’t get the calls from the acquaintance who Cavalcante tried to contact on Saturday until hours later.
“No perimeter is 100% secure. It’s not a wall, it doesn’t have a ceiling, it doesn’t have all of the things that you might normally use if you’re trying to contain someone,” Bivens said.
The Longwood Gardens area, where officers had earlier set up a perimeter, was a particular challenge, according to Bivens.
“We had tactical teams in there from multiple agencies and even then, it was problematic to try and capture him or to find him again,” Bivens said. “The cover is that dense and just a multitude of places to hide.”
Aerial video from September 8 showed officers on horseback in Kennett Square searching in grass so long and dense, it consumed the horses’ legs.
The early stages of the search in the woods played out to Cavalcante’s advantage, US Marshals Service Supervising Deputy Robert Clark said Monday.
“He was in an 8-square-mile area with very difficult train that was very difficult to get to,” Clark said.
But in an urban setting, the advantage is on law enforcement’s side, Clark said.
“He was playing that tactical hide and seek in the woods. Now, I believe it’s advantaged law enforcement because he’s in an urban setting and that’s what our investigators do,” Clark said Monday.
25 min ago
Gun was stolen by man fitting description of escaped killer before shots fired, according to affiliate KYW
From CNN's LJ Spaet
A man who fits the description of Danelo Cavalcante, stole a gun before shots were fired, in the midst of the latest sighting and search for the escaped killer, sources tell CNN affiliate KYW.
A resident reported a gun stolen during a confrontation, and it remains unclear if the fugitive was hit when the homeowner fired shots, KYW reports. The weapon is a .22 caliber rifle, sources tell KYW and CNN affiliate WPVI.
Chester County reported a shooting incident Monday night around 10:10 p.m. ET.
Shoes believed to belong to fugitive Cavalcante were found overnight, affiliate WPVI also reports.
28 min ago
Here's a timeline of known Cavalcante sightings
From CNN's Nouran Salahieh
A Monday night sighting of the convicted killer who escaped from an eastern Pennsylvania prison nearly two weeks ago jolted the surrounding community into high alert and prompted school closures Tuesday, after police warned the inmate now has a weapon.
The latest sighting of 34-year-old Danelo Cavalcante – the first one reported since Saturday – brings a heightened sense of danger as the search enters its 13th day Tuesday.
Pennsylvania State Police have said multiple credible sightings of the escaped inmate have been reported. Here’s what we know about some of the places police say Cavalcante has been to:
August 31: Cavalcante is seen on jail surveillance video escaping from Chester County Prison. The video showed him “crab-walking” between two walls in an exercise yard – placing his hands on one wall and his feet on another – and shimmying up out of view, said the prison’s acting warden, Howard Holland. Cavalcante then ran across a roof, scaled another fence and got through razor wire, Holland said.
• September 1: Ryan Drummond, who lives in the township where the prison is located, said Cavalcante got into his Pocopson Township home and took food before leaving, CNN affiliate WPVI reported.
• September 2: Cavalcante was spotted on surveillance video about 1.5 miles from the prison, authorities said.
• September 4: A security camera recorded the fugitive at Longwood Gardens, about 3 miles from the prison, authorities said.
• Friday: Authorities reported two sightings of Cavalcante within the search area. The area encompassed Longwood Gardens.
•Saturday: Cavalcante stole the van and at 9:52 p.m. local time, he went to the home of the first acquaintance where he was seen on doorbell video. He then went to the home of another old work associate at 10:07 p.m. in Phoenixville area, according to Bivens, who said authorities learned of the sightings around 12:30 a.m. Sunday.
• Sunday: The stolen van was found abandoned in a field behind a barn in East Nantmeal Township at 10:40 a.m.
• Monday: Police send an alert saying Cavalcante was sighted in Chester County’s South Coventry Township, “possibly armed with a weapon.”
Danelo Cavalcante's escape on August 31 has prompted a massive manhunt involving hundreds of officers, and put the rural community of Pocopson Township and surrounding Chester County on edge.
Cavalcante was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend in a brutal 2021 stabbing that took place in front of her two young children, authorities say. He is also wanted in an earlier homicide case in his native Brazil.
There are about 500 law enforcement members assisting in the manhunt of escaped inmate Danelo Cavalcante, Pennsylvania State Police said Tuesday.
The agencies involved include Pennsylvania State Police, the US Marshals, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to Lt. Colonel George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police.
Law enforcement is planning for an extended operating period, if necessary, Bivens said during Tuesday’s conference.
Police say they have “no reason to believe” escaped inmate Danelo Cavalcante was injured as a result of a resident firing “several shots” after a rifle was stolen from the homeowner's garage.
“We have no reason to believe he is injured as a result of that shooting,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Colonel George Bivens said.
“I think he is just trying to survive and avoid being captured right now,” Bivens added.
Bivens said “several shots” were fired by the homeowner toward Cavalcante.
The escaped inmate has been considered “dangerous” from the start, so this “changes nothing,” he added.
“We’ve always considered him to be a risk, we just now absolutely know that he has a weapon," he said.
Pennsylvania State Police are not recommending evacuations for residents at this time amid the manhunt for escaped inmate Danelo Cavalcante, officials said Tuesday.
Police sent messages to residents within a 3-mile radius of where Cavalcante was spotted overnight Monday, Lt. Colonel George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police said during Tuesday’s news conference.
Cavalcante "is considered armed and extremely dangerous," Bivens said Tuesday.
Police found footprints in mud that were “identical” to the footprints of the shoes that escaped inmate Danelo Cavalcante wore in prison, Pennsylvania officials said during a news conference Tuesday.
After locating the footprints, Cavalante’s prison shoes were found abandoned, Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police told reporters.
A resident in the area reported that a pair of work boots had been stolen from her porch, Bivens said.
Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Colonel George Bivens speaks during a press conference on Tuesday. KYW
Police in Pennsylvania continue to hunt for escaped inmate Danelo Cavalcante, who is “considered armed and extremely dangerous," Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Colonel George Bivens said.
Throughout the night, several reverse 911 calls were sent to residents in the area, he added. Residents in the search perimeter have been asked to secure their homes.
Escaped Pennsylvania killer Danelo Cavalcante "is considered armed and extremely dangerous," said Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police on Tuesday.
"He is now armed with a .22 caliber rifle with a scope and flashlight mounted on it," Bivens added during a press conference.
He urged residents to be safe and contact authorities with any available information on Cavalcante as he detailed the perimeter of search.
There were a “number of significant developments overnight,” Bivens said — notably at 10:10 p.m. when a call was received from a resident indicating a short, shirtless and Hispanic male “entered his garage” when the resident was in it, and grabbed a .22 rifle.
The resident drew a pistol and fired at Cavalcante, Bivens said.
Police monitor a wooded perimeter during a manhunt for Danelo Cavalcante on September 9 in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Mark Makela/Getty Images
Danelo Cavalcante left the prison by “crab-walking” between two walls, scaling a fence and traversing across razor wire and heading into the forest.
Despite several sightings since then, police have said they’ve faced challenges as the unusually long search for Cavalcante dragged on – an effort one official has described as “tactical hide and seek.”
“We conduct fugitive investigations every day of the year across this commonwealth … most don’t lead to a protracted search like this,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said Monday.
Most escaped prisoners are captured within 24 hours, and most of them within two miles, CNN’s chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller said.
According to Bivens, the challenges in finding Cavalcante include:
The search beginning in a large, densely wooded area with many places to hide.
It was difficult to secure a search perimeter, where Cavalcante was spotted several times, because it had a “massive” underground tunnel system, large drainage ditches and thick vegetation.
Police didn’t get the calls from the acquaintance who Cavalcante tried to contact on Saturday until hours later.
“No perimeter is 100% secure. It’s not a wall, it doesn’t have a ceiling, it doesn’t have all of the things that you might normally use if you’re trying to contain someone,” Bivens said.
The Longwood Gardens area, where officers had earlier set up a perimeter, was a particular challenge, according to Bivens.
“We had tactical teams in there from multiple agencies and even then, it was problematic to try and capture him or to find him again,” Bivens said. “The cover is that dense and just a multitude of places to hide.”
Aerial video from September 8 showed officers on horseback in Kennett Square searching in grass so long and dense, it consumed the horses’ legs.
The early stages of the search in the woods played out to Cavalcante’s advantage, US Marshals Service Supervising Deputy Robert Clark said Monday.
“He was in an 8-square-mile area with very difficult train that was very difficult to get to,” Clark said.
But in an urban setting, the advantage is on law enforcement’s side, Clark said.
“He was playing that tactical hide and seek in the woods. Now, I believe it’s advantaged law enforcement because he’s in an urban setting and that’s what our investigators do,” Clark said Monday.
A man who fits the description of Danelo Cavalcante, stole a gun before shots were fired, in the midst of the latest sighting and search for the escaped killer, sources tell CNN affiliate KYW.
A resident reported a gun stolen during a confrontation, and it remains unclear if the fugitive was hit when the homeowner fired shots, KYW reports. The weapon is a .22 caliber rifle, sources tell KYW and CNN affiliate WPVI.
Chester County reported a shooting incident Monday night around 10:10 p.m. ET.
Shoes believed to belong to fugitive Cavalcante were found overnight, affiliate WPVI also reports.
A Monday night sighting of the convicted killer who escaped from an eastern Pennsylvania prison nearly two weeks ago jolted the surrounding community into high alert and prompted school closures Tuesday, after police warned the inmate now has a weapon.
The latest sighting of 34-year-old Danelo Cavalcante – the first one reported since Saturday – brings a heightened sense of danger as the search enters its 13th day Tuesday.
Pennsylvania State Police have said multiple credible sightings of the escaped inmate have been reported. Here’s what we know about some of the places police say Cavalcante has been to:
August 31: Cavalcante is seen on jail surveillance video escaping from Chester County Prison. The video showed him “crab-walking” between two walls in an exercise yard – placing his hands on one wall and his feet on another – and shimmying up out of view, said the prison’s acting warden, Howard Holland. Cavalcante then ran across a roof, scaled another fence and got through razor wire, Holland said.
• September 1: Ryan Drummond, who lives in the township where the prison is located, said Cavalcante got into his Pocopson Township home and took food before leaving, CNN affiliate WPVI reported.
• September 2: Cavalcante was spotted on surveillance video about 1.5 miles from the prison, authorities said.
• September 4: A security camera recorded the fugitive at Longwood Gardens, about 3 miles from the prison, authorities said.
• Friday: Authorities reported two sightings of Cavalcante within the search area. The area encompassed Longwood Gardens.
•Saturday: Cavalcante stole the van and at 9:52 p.m. local time, he went to the home of the first acquaintance where he was seen on doorbell video. He then went to the home of another old work associate at 10:07 p.m. in Phoenixville area, according to Bivens, who said authorities learned of the sightings around 12:30 a.m. Sunday.
• Sunday: The stolen van was found abandoned in a field behind a barn in East Nantmeal Township at 10:40 a.m.
• Monday: Police send an alert saying Cavalcante was sighted in Chester County’s South Coventry Township, “possibly armed with a weapon.”
