Murderer Escaped Eastern PA Prison By Scaling The Wall (Video)

WEST CHESTER, PA — Officers on duty missed convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante scale the wall like Spider-Man to escape incarceration last Thursday, according to Acting Chester County Prison Warden Howard Holland.

Holland released the video (seen below), which shows Cavalcante, in a matter of seconds, nimbly scaling two walls by bracing himself with his hands and feet between the walls and climbing up. When he got to the top of the roof, he escaped from there.

An officer on duty in an exterior tower, missed Cavalcante on the roof and subsequent escape from the grounds, Howard said. The officer in the tower is on administrative leave, and the escape is under investigation by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office.

“The escape was not immediately seen,” Howard said Wednesday, despite there being 160 cameras in the facility.

Holland said the escape was discovered about 50 minutes later when attendance was taken at the Pocopson Township prison.

The search continues

The Pennsylvania state police are leading the search of Cavalcante, which has moved south to include Pennsbury Township, bordering Delaware.

The search perimeter is between Routes 926 and 52 and Creek and Hillendale roads, and State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said the escapee is believed to be trying to head south to an unspecified location.

Bivens said last night a resident saw Cavalcante in Pennsbury Township.

Today is the seventh day of the search for Cavalcante, who was convicted on Aug. 16 of first-degree murder in the April 18, 2021, fatal stabbing of his ex-girlfriend, Deborah Brandao, in front of her children in Schuylkill Township.

He was sentenced on Aug. 22 in the Chester County Justice Center in West Chester to life in state prison.

Following the sentencing, Cavalcante was taken to the Chester County Prison in Pocopson Township, to await transportation to a state prison.

Cavalcante, a Brazilian man who speaks Portuguese and Spanish and some English, escaped from Chester County Prison at 8:50 a.m. Thursday.

How did Cavalcante escape?

Holland said Cavalcante escaped from the prison in a method similar to the way another inmate, Igor Bolte, escaped on May 19.

Bolte, 30, was in the exercise yard of the Chester County Prison when he scaled the wall until reaching the roof. Surveillance footage showed Bolte climbing down the roof of the building and running past the security station. Bolte was captured in five minutes.
After the Bolte escape, the security system was assessed and razor wire was installed at the area near the escape.

However, Cavalcante took the same route to escape. But he was seen 50 minutes later walking on Wawaset Road in Pocopson Township.

Cavalcante was wearing a white T-shirt with gray shorts with white sneakers. He is 5 feet tall and 120 pounds, with black curly hair and brown eyes.

Multiple Sightings, breaks in police perimeter

Cavalcante has been spotted multiple times since he escaped Thursday from the Chester County Prison at 8:50 a.m.

He was first spotted shortly before 1:45 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, in the 1800 block of Lenape Road, approximately 1.5 miles from the county prison. His appearance has remained unchanged since his escape Thursday morning.

The last known sighting was on a privately owned motion-activated wildlife trail camera at Longwood Gardens, a tourist destination in East Marlborough Township.

Police released photos of Cavalcante on the trail in Longwood Gardens. One image of Cavalcante shows him walking north at 8:21 p.m. and another photo shows him walking south through the same area at 9:33 p.m.

At a news conference Tuesday morning, 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.

"He found a point that he could squeeze through that perimeter and he traveled south,” Bivens said. “We'll now expand that perimeter and move it so that we can try and encapsulate him again.”

Neighbors on high 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.

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."

School districts status

Unionville-Chadds Ford School District and Kennett Consolidated School District is reopening all schools on Thursday.

"We look forward to welcoming students and staff back while remaining attentive and vigilant," John Saville, superintendent, said. "Our behavioral health team will be available to support students and staff."

Kennett Consolidated is reopening all of the schools, excluding Greenwood Elementary School on Thursday.

A separate message will be communicated to all Greenwood families with a detailed plan for Greenwood students. For those families electing to keep their children home, the absences will be excused.

"This is a difficult scenario to navigate and it's constantly evolving," Dr. D. Dusty Blakely, superintendent, said. "We appreciate your patience as we try to keep up with the events and adjust as we receive new information to make sure all our students and staff are safe."

A reward of $20,000 will be awarded to any individual who has information leading to an arrest.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 717-562-2987.