Current:Home > StocksWatch: Video shows how Danelo Cavalcante escaped prison in Chester County, Pennsylvania -MarketStream
Watch: Video shows how Danelo Cavalcante escaped prison in Chester County, Pennsylvania
View
Date:2025-04-14 17:26:39
Danelo Cavalcante entered the "C" Block cell of Chester County Prison in West Chester, about an hour's drive from Philadelphia, at 8:33 a.m. on August 31, 2023. Less than twenty minutes later, the convicted murderer escaped, officials said at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon.
Surveillance footage played at the news conference showed Cavalcante, wearing a white t-shirt, black pants and white sneakers, walk to a back wall and look around before grabbing onto a razor wire fence. He then pressed his feet against the wall so he was fully horizontal and climbed, Spiderman-like, up the wall until he disappeared from view.
Chester County Prison's acting warden Howard Holland said that Cavalcante escaped from the exercise yard to the roof area, which is the same escape route that another inmate, Igor Bolte, used on May 19, 2023.
After Bolte's escape, the prison hired a consulting firm, which advised them to "cap the whole area" with razor wire, Holland said. The prison didn't take into consideration that Cavalcante would break through the razor wire, he added.
A correction officer positioned at a watch tower was surveilling "C" Block, the acting warden said. There was a basketball game taking place in the yard at the time, which might have prevented the officers from catching Cavalcante climb up the wall, Holland said. According to Holland, there were 160 cameras installed throughout the prison, and it was possible that the officers monitoring the video feeds were focused on other things and didn't see the brazen escape.
Holland said that the Attorney General's office is investigating actions taken by corrections staff during the escape. The corrections officer stationed at the tower at the time is currently on administrative leave, he said.
Cavalcante was sighted Tuesday night, but search teams were unable to locate him, Lt. Col. George Bivens, with the Pennslyvania State Police, said at the news conference. There have been four confirmed sightings of him in a 2-mile radius in the days since his escape. The focus of the search has been on the area around Pocopson Township, which is located within Chester County. The perimeter being searched by law enforcement has expanded, said Bivens.
State police on Wednesday announced they had increased the reward for information that leads to Cavalcante's arrest from $10,000 to $20,000.
Bivens believes that Cavalcante is headed south and feels "quite confident I'm wearing him down." Cavalcante has no shelter or regular source of food, and he is navigating extremely difficult terrain, Bivens said. This is a "difficult existence for someone trying to do this," Bivens said, but "being hunted adds a whole different level of stress."
Bivens added that law enforcement is "not going anywhere until we catch him."
–Reporting contributed by Aliza Chasan
- In:
- Pennsylvania
- Crime
Cara Tabachnick is a news editor for CBSNews.com. Contact her at cara.tabachnick@cbsinteractive.com
veryGood! (99463)
Related
- Sonya Massey's family keeps eyes on 'full justice' one month after shooting
- Why Sharon Stone Says It's Stupid for People to Be Ashamed of Aging
- Video shows California cop walking into a 7-Eleven robbery before making arrest
- A Texas chef once relied on food pantries. Now she's written a cookbook for others who do
- Shilo Sanders' bankruptcy case reaches 'impasse' over NIL information for CU star
- Whoopi Goldberg pushes back against 'Barbie' snubs at 2024 Oscars: 'Everybody doesn't win'
- Inmate overpowers deputy at hospital, flees to nearby home before fatally shooting himself
- France's Constitutional Council scraps parts of divisive immigration law
- Beware of giant spiders: Thousands of tarantulas to emerge in 3 states for mating season
- Gwendoline Christie Transforms Into a Porcelain Doll for Maison Margiela's Paris Fashion Week Show
Ranking
- Matt Damon remembers pal Robin Williams: 'He was a very deep, deep river'
- NASA retires Ingenuity, the little helicopter that made history on Mars
- Data breaches and ID theft are still hitting records. Here's how to protect yourself.
- Key takeaways from UN court’s ruling on Israel’s war in Gaza
- What polling shows about Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ new running mate
- Father-daughter duo finds surprise success with TV channel airing only classics
- Texas woman's financial woes turn around after winning $1 million in online scratch-off
- Indianapolis police fatally shoot man wanted on a warrant during an exchange of gunfire
Recommendation
51-year-old Andy Macdonald puts on Tony Hawk-approved Olympic skateboard showing
Look back at every Super Bowl halftime performer, including Michael Jackson, JLo, Beyonce
This week on Sunday Morning: Remembering Charles Osgood (January 28)
Bid to overhaul New Mexico oil and gas regulations clears first hurdle amid litigation
Mega Millions winning numbers for August 6 drawing: Jackpot climbs to $398 million
US regulators close investigation into Ford Escape door latches and will not seek a recall
Biden delays consideration of new natural gas export terminals. Democrat cites risk to the climate
Can't find a dupe? Making your own Anthropologie mirror is easy and cheap with these steps