Residents of a suburban Philadelphia community locked themselves in their houses and at least one school district cancelled classes as authorities indicated they were closing in on a murderer who escaped from jail nearly two weeks ago.
Pennsylvania State Police posted on social media that the department was pursuing Danelo Souza Cavalcante in South Coventry Township, about 20 miles north of the Chester County jail, from which he escaped on August 31st.
Police warned that Cavalcante was armed and not to approach him, and asked the public to call 911 if they see him.
At least one school district said on Tuesday it would close all schools and offices for the day, and another in the area planned to keep students indoors.
Police closed roads in the search area. Video from a roadblock showed law enforcement officers stopping and checking vehicles leaving the area.
On Monday, state and federal officials pushed back against questions about whether they blew a chance to catch Cavalcante, saying the area where hundreds had been searching included deep woods, underground tunnels and drainage ditches.
They also said it took more than two hours for news to reach them that he had been spotted outside the perimeter for the first time.
Cavalcante slipped out of the eight-square-mile search area over the weekend and stole a dairy delivery van that had been left unlocked with the keys in it.
He abandoned it more than 20 miles north of the search area after unsuccessfully seeking help at the homes of two former colleagues late on Saturday, police said.
George Bivens, of the Pennsylvania State Police, declined to say how he thinks Cavalcante slipped through the perimeter but he said no perimeter is completely secure.
Cavalcante is desperate because he is reaching out for help from people with whom he has not spoken in years, he said.
“The fact that he has reached out to people with a very distant past connection tells me he doesn’t have a great network of support,” Mr Bivens said.
“So I think he’s desperate, and I’ve characterised him as that all along. And I think the longer we push him, the more resources, the more tools we bring to bear, we will ultimately capture him. He doesn’t have what he needs to last long-term.”
Mr Bivens has said state police are authorised to use deadly force if Cavalcante does not actively surrender and noted other agencies involved in the search may have their own rules.
Mr Bivens declined to discuss whether Cavalcante has received assistance from others but said no such arrests have been made.
Cavalcante’s sister was arrested by immigration authorities, Mr Bivens said. He said she was arrested for staying past her legally allowed period of stay and law enforcement had no reason to allow her to remain in the United States since she was not cooperating with the investigation.
Cavalcante, 34, broke out of the Chester County Prison while awaiting transfer to a state prison to serve a life sentence for fatally stabbing an ex-girlfriend in 2021.
Prosecutors say he killed her to stop her from telling police that he was wanted over murders in his home country of Brazil.
To escape, Cavalcante scaled a wall by crab-walking up from the recreation yard, climbed over razor wire, ran across a roof and jumped to the ground. His escape went undetected for more than an hour until guards took a head count. The tower guard on duty was fired, officials said.
In Brazil, prosecutors in Tocantins state said Cavalcante is accused of “double qualified homicide” in the 2017 slaying of Valter Junior Moreira dos Reis in the municipality of Figueiropolis, over a debt the victim owed him for repairing a vehicle.
US authorities described Cavalcante as extremely dangerous. A $25,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his capture.
