Danelo Cavalcante: Surveillance footage shows moment convicted felon escaped maximum security prison
CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA: Pennsylvania authorities have released shocking footage that appears to capture the moment when Brazilian fugitive Danelo Cavalcante scaled a wall to escape from a high-security prison.
The 34-year-old Cavalcante, who was sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend in front of her two children, fled from Chester County Prison in West Chester at around 8.45 am on Thursday, August 31.
As of Thursday, September 7, Cavalcante is still on the run. Prison warden Howard Holland confirmed that the attorney general has launched a probe into his escape, according to Daily Mail.
During a press conference, Holland stated that the convicted murderer escaped after "crab walking" between two walls, pushing through razor wire, racing across a roof, and scaling a second barrier.
In the surveillance footage, Cavalcante is seen walking toward a doorway, then looking over his shoulder, before placing his hands on one wall and feet on another.
He then shimmies up the opening and flees out the view.
A prisoner is also seen in the video, but authorities were unable to clarify whether he was acting as a 'lookout' for the murderer.
Holland stated that the razor wires were added to the fences after the escape of Igor Bolte, 30, who broke out of the prison from the same yard on May 19 but was caught nearby minutes later.
When did Danelo Cavalcante escape?
The prison warden confirmed that Cavalcante was in the exercise yard from 8.33 am and cameras captured him escaping at around 8.51 am.
However, the escape went unnoticed until 9.45 am, when officers in his block noticed his absence. Prison guards alerted 911 that Cavalcante had escaped at 10.01 am following a prison-wide count and search for the offender.
Holland promised the facility is working to improve the security measures following two escapes in the span of just two months. "We know the gravity of the situation. We are developing proposals that would fully enclose all outside exercise yards," he said, adding, "Cavalcante had razor wire to contend with before accessing the roof, which Bolte did not."
"Once additional wire was added following Bolte’s escape [and] it was determined by security advisors that this was sufficient. While we believed that the security measures we had in place were sufficient, they have proven otherwise and we will move quickly to enhance our security measures," he continued.
Where was Danelo Cavalcante last seen?
Police last saw Cavalcante on Tuesday night in a stream close to a home, but fled by the time cops were called.
Officials previously confirmed that they sent out a reverse 911 to residents within a 1.5-mile area of the camera, which caught Cavalcante at 5 am.
Before this, the fugitive was spotted in a home in Pocopson township on Friday, where he 'flicked the lights' at the owner before stealing some food items.
Ryan Drummond claimed that he spotted Cavalcante in his house after hearing 'rustling' downstairs. "What I decided to do was flip the switch three or four or five times, paused, and then he flipped a light switch from downstairs. This was the moment of, 'Oh my God this guy is down there,'” he told ABC.
"I saw him walk out of the kitchen through our living room, open up that door, (and) walk out. He was wearing a white shirt and had a bag," he continued.
Officials confirmed that Cavalcante was last seen wearing a white t-shirt and pants, that had been issued by the prison.
Pennsylvania State Police described him as "extremely dangerous" and "desperate not to be caught" while warning residents to remain on high alert with their doors locked.
Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens said there have been multiple confirmed sightings of the fugitive in the region during the past several days.
"That pressure we put on him is working. We squeezed him hard enough in a period of a few days where he couldn't get some relief, and he squeezed out," Bivens said, adding, "I wished we could've got him, but it's a large, dark area, with difficult terrain."
