Fugitive Danelo Cavalcante apprehended by Pennsylvania police after weeks-long hunt

Convicted killer Danelo Cavalcante was apprehended by police in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, ending a manhunt that transfixed the nation after the fugitive escaped prison and evaded authorities for nearly two weeks.

The Brazilian national, convicted in the April 2021 killing of his girlfriend, escaped the Chester County Prison by maneuvering up a wall in an incident caught on camera.

Spottings of the Brazilian national since his escape on Aug. 31 had alarmed residents in the areas near the prison. Authorities stepped up their own warnings this week after Cavalcante obtained a gun from a resident’s garage, running off as the resident fired at him.

Schools in the area had been closed as authorities stubbornly searched for Cavalcante, gradually widening their perimeter as the fugitive moved through heavily wooded areas that provided a host of hiding spots.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced at a press conference Wednesday that Cavalcante was captured just after 8 a.m. on Wednesday and that no shots were fired during the arrest.

Shapiro praised the efforts of law enforcement officials as well as the public and said the cooperative effort reveals “how government is supposed to work.”

“The public over the last 13 days has had a chance to see what excellence in law enforcement means, what true dedicated professionalism is all about. I couldn’t be more proud to be standing up here today with these professionals from every level,” Shapiro said on Wednesday.

Cavalcante was finally caught after a burglar alarm went off just after midnight at a residence within the perimeter in Chester County, Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) Lt. Col. George Bivens said.

Law enforcement drew their attention to the area where the alarm went off, and an aircraft spotted a heat source just after 1 a.m. Lightning and difficult weather conditions caused them to cease operations overnight, before they resumed this morning.

On Wednesday morning, Bivens said dozens of law enforcement authorities surrounded Cavalcante, leading up to his arrest. The fugitive suffered a bit wound from a K9 officer, he said, but there were no other significant injuries.

Hundreds of law enforcement officials have been involved in a far-reaching manhunt for the past two weeks.

Cavalcante escaped Chester County Prison about a week after he was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his girlfriend by fatally stabbing her 38 times in front of her two young children. He is also wanted in a separate homicide case in Brazil.

On Wednesday morning, as the manhunt continued into its 14th day, armed police descended on the South Coventry Township area, the Associated Press reported, and closed roads in the area. Police reportedly were searching throughout the night amid a downpour.

Bivens on Tuesday had warned that Cavalcante was “armed extremely dangerous” after he stole a .22-caliber rifle and ammunition from a garage in a suburb of Philadelphia on Monday night. Police had been telling residents in the area to keep their doors and windows locked.

Earlier this week, state police announced the scope of the manhunt was changing, after Cavalcante managed to escape the perimeter set up by law enforcement officials. He was seen on a Ring camera late Saturday night with a newly clean-shaven face. He had stolen a van and managed to drive about two dozen miles north of the area where he had originally stolen the van.

On Monday, state police also announced that they had increased the reward for tips that could lead to Cavalcante’s capture to up to $25,000. Last Thursday, the reward had been up to $20,000.

Updated at 10:55 a.m. ET

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