Schools were closed outside of Philadelphia on Tuesday, and homeowners were advised to lock their doors after an escaped Brazilian murderer dodged gunfire to steal a rifle from a home and was declared “extremely dangerous.” Danelo Cavalcante, who escaped from Chester County Prison about two weeks ago, has sparked dread and curiosity among Americans as he avoided police dogs, drones, helicopters, and special armed forces. Authorities erected barricades in the wooded, remote area of Bucktown, Pennsylvania, and sent elite SWAT officers and armored vehicles.
Authorities have been unable to apprehend the convicted murderer
Although authorities have been unable to apprehend the convicted murderer, he has been shown on multiple occasions on residential security footage and even nature cameras set up to monitor wildlife, turning his criminal adventures into a horrific reality TV program. Since scaling his prison wall on August 31, the 34-year-old has stolen new clothing, food, and a van, which he later abandoned. He raised the stakes on Monday night by sneaking into a residential garage near Bucktown and stealing a 22 calibre rifle with a scope and illumination attached, according to Pennsylvania police spokesman George Bivens.
The homeowner confronted the fugitive and fired a revolver at him, but he looked to have missed the fugitive, who fled. Cavalcante’s release occurred just a week after he was sentenced to life in prison for killing his fiancée dozens of times in front of her children in 2021. According to authorities, he is also wanted in Brazil for murder. Cavalcante’s mother, who lives in rural Brazil, told the New York Times in an interview that she wasn’t shocked he got away with murder in Brazil. “His training was his suffering,” Iracema Cavalcante said of her son’s modest, rural childhood.
She was equally depressed about his sentence of life in prison in the United States, adding that “it’s better to die soon” than “go to a place and suffer and die in that place.” Cavalcante, who is only five feet (1.52 meters) tall, is “considered armed and extremely dangerous,” according to Bivens. In addition to bombarding the search zone – a large area west of Philadelphia – with warning notices, the Oakland J. Robert school district decided to close schools early Tuesday. “At this time, we are not evacuating homes.” “We’re asking residents to be cautious and to lock their doors again,” Bivens stated.
The prize for information leading to Cavalcante’s location has been increased from $20,000 to $25,000
According to a police spokesman, roughly 500 cops, including heavily armed tactical units, are combing the region, but they are impeded by the wooded terrain. In response to allegations that the police have been ineffective in their manhunt, Bivens referred to Cavalcante as the “proverbial needle in a haystack.” Helicopters buzzed over Lundale Farm, some 40 miles (64 kilometers) outside of Philadelphia. Becki Patterson, the organization’s executive director, stated that cops were “walking through our property, walking through the woods.” She described the surroundings as having “trees, creeks, bridges, and all kinds of corners (where) you could sneak around.” “It’s been very stressful.”
The prize for information leading to Cavalcante’s location has been increased from $20,000 to $25,000. So far, there have been multiple sightings of the convict, some of which show him shirtless, while others show him wearing a hoodie. Cavalcante had modified his look, chopping off the dark beard and mustache visible on his original “wanted” poster, according to police. Police also reported that the fugitive had abandoned a stolen 2020 White Ford Transit van, which had been stolen from a dairy in West Chester. He had obviously run out of gas. Last Monday, prison officials published a video depicting Cavalcante’s escape. It shows the convict, then wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, crab-walking up two parallel walls and then climbing to the roof before making his way over two razor-wire fences.