Killer who escaped Pennsylvania prison spotted nearby on cameras

A convicted murderer who escaped a suburban Philadelphia prison last week was spotted shortly after midnight Saturday by residential security cameras in an area not far from the prison, according to The Associated Press.

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Danelo Cavalcante, 34, escaped Thursday morning from Chester State Prison in Chester, Pennsylvania. Cavalcante had been sentenced to life in prison last month for killing his ex-girlfriend in front of her children after she learned he had killed another woman. He escaped while awaiting transfer to state prison to begin his sentence.

Law enforcement officials said Cavalcante was seen on cameras at around 12:30 a.m. in Pocopson Township. The town is roughly 1.5 miles from the prison, the Chester County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, U.S. Marshals are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Cavalcante’s arrest.

The photo of Cavalcante showed that he had not changed clothes since he escaped. He was wearing a white T-shirt and what are believed to be prison-issued pants. He is also carrying a backpack. He is described as being 5 feet tall and weighing 120 pounds. He has black curly hair, a beard and a mustache.

Cavalcante, who has a sister and friends who live in Chester County, illegally immigrated to the United States using a fake ID he obtained in Puerto Rico, the Inquirer reported, citing evidence presented at his murder trial.

“As we’ve indicated, this is a person who has evaded law enforcement for years for a homicide in Brazil,” Chester County District Attorney Deborah Ryan said this weekend. “He’s escaped from a prison. He escaped the first time when he killed the woman in Schuylkill Township in 2021. So, we’re asking people to just be mindful that he is dangerous and anything’s possible.”

According to WPVI, the security footage that authorities believe showed Cavalcante in Pocopson was taken at 1:43 a.m. Saturday on the 1800 block of Lenape Road, or Route 52.

Police have responded to more than 100 tips from neighbors in the area, including allegations of possible break-ins to residential homes in the vicinity of the prison, WPVI reported.