A 34-year-old convicted murderer broke out of a Pennsylvania prison Thursday morning, prompting authorities on the local, state and federal level to launch a collective manhunt.

Danelo Cavalcante was serving a life sentence without chance of parole in Chester County Prison for fatally stabbing his former girlfriend in front of her own children in 2021.

The prison’s warden, Howard Holland, did not explain how Cavalcante was able to escape, but said the incident is currently under investigation.

Cavalcante was described as “a Brazilian male who speaks Portuguese and Spanish, light skinned, 34-year-old, 5-foot, 120 lbs., with shaggy black curly hair and brown eyes,” according to a Facebook post from the Chester County District Attorney’s Office.

The post added that he was wearing a white t-shirt, gray shorts and white sneakers when he was last seen.

His escape occurred around 8:50 a.m. on Thursday in Pocopson Township, where the jail is located, and comes just two weeks after the Aug. 16 ruling that found Cavalcante guilty of murder.

He is also wanted for a separate 2017 killing in his home country of Brazil.

“He is considered extremely dangerous. We are in the process of setting up a tip line and asking the community for their help,” said county district attorney Deb Ryan during a press conference.

“I don’t know what he is capable of doing. If he has already engaged in murder in broad daylight in front of her two children, there is no stopping him from doing something more egregious,” Ryan added.

Residents within a 6-mile radius of the prison have already received an alert detailing the escape. Cavalcante was reportedly last seen around 9:40 a.m. walking on Wawaset Road in Pocopson Township.

With News Wire Services