Murderer Escaped Eastern PA Prison Via The Roof, Report Says

CHESTER COUNTY, PA —Convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante escaped from Chester County Prison by climbing on the roof of the jail’s exercise room, according to a report.

Cavalcante, 34, ran across the roof and dropped down to a less secure area, fleeing the prison grounds in Pocopson Township early Thursday morning, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The source told the Inquirer that another inmate used a similar method to escape from the county jail in May, but was caught nearby.

Cavalcante has been on the run for nearly a week, and the search has been focused on Pocopson, East Marlborough and Kennett townships.

Residents said today the search had expanded to New Castle County, Dela., which is just across the Chester County border.

Pennsylvania State Trooper James McKee said the state police are not commenting on how Cavalcante escaped.

Dana Moore, spokeswoman for the District Attorney’s office, said the method of escape is under investigation, and it’s premature to comment.

"The main focus is to capture Cavalcante,” Moore said.
Moore said the terrain on and around the prison is densely wooded.

At a news conference Tuesday morning, Pennsylvania State Lt. Col. George Bivens said Cavalcante slipped through a police perimeter Monday, forcing the closure of two school districts and the search grid to move south of Baltimore Pike, also known as U.S. Route 1.

Longwood Gardens, Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, Kennett Consolidated School District and Kennett Square Borough Hall are closed on Wednesday.

The changes were made after Cavalcante was spotted by trail cameras on Longwood Gardens property in Kennett Square. Staffers contacted police to report sightings of Cavalcante in the gardens at 8:21 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Monday.

“It is important to keep pressure on him,” Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said Tuesday morning. “We realized in a few hours where he was located. He’s under pressure, and he is trying to escape.”

Bivens said the suspect is 5 feet tall and weighs 120 pounds and is able to slip through small spaces. He has long, black curly hair and is wearing a backpack. He also noted that while Cavalcante has not altered his appearance, he has picked up a new duffle bag and hoodie and is looking everywhere for food.

Bivens did not know where Cavalcante got the supplies, but mentioned it could be from burglarizing people's homes and or cars and asked residents in the area to secure their homes.

Neighbors on alert

Wendy Hughes, who lives in a development near Longwood Gardens in Kennett Township, said the residents are unnerved about Cavalcante hiding out near their neighborhood.
“I did not take my morning walk today,” Hughes said Tuesday. “I didn’t see anyone outside today. There are helicopters searching around our neighborhood.”
Hughes said she has been checking her shed every morning since the escape to see if he is hiding there.
“The concerning part is he has been breaking into houses,” Hughes said. “He got into someone’s house and was flipping lights on and off. I don’t want him coming into my house."
Hughes said the escape is being discussed constantly on neighborhood chat groups.

The escape

Cavalcante escaped at 8:50 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 31, from the Chester County Prison on Wawaset Road in Pocopson Township.
Cavalcante was then seen 50 minutes later, walking on Wawaset Road. Since then, hundreds of law enforcement officers have been deployed in the manhunt, using helicopters, K-9 units, and drones.
A home surveillance camera caught a glimpse of Cavalcante shortly before 1:45 a.m. Saturday morning in the 1800 block of Lenape Road, approximately 1.5 miles from the prison, officials said.

He was wearing gray shorts, a white T-shirt, and white sneakers. His appearance has remained unchanged since his escape Thursday morning, officials said Tuesday.

The murder

Cavalcante was convicted on Aug. 16 of first-degree murder in the April 18, 2021 stabbing of Deborah Brandao in front of her children, ages 4 and 7, outside her home in the 300 block of Pawlings Road, Schuylkill Township. Witnesses testified the victim was stabbed 38 times.
He was sentenced on Aug. 22 in the Chester County Justice Center to life in prison after a jury deliberated for 15 minutes.
On Thursday, he was awaiting transfer to state prison to serve out his sentence when he escaped.
This isn’t the first time, Cavalcante escaped from authorities. He migrated to the United States after a warrant was issued for his arrest for murder in Brazil in 2017, according to witnesses who testified in his trial.
Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of Danelo Cavalcante is asked
to call 9-1-1 immediately.
There is a $10,000 reward for anyone with information that leads to his capture.