A convicted murderer who escaped from the Chester County Prison was sighted in Pocopson Township early Saturday morning, approximately 1.5 miles from the prison he broke out of, investigators said.
Danelo Cavalcante, 34, was seen on residential surveillance footage on the 1800 block of Lenape Road around 12:30 a.m., the Chester County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. Local police also received a report of an attempted burglary about an hour earlier, at 11:30 p.m. Friday, on the 1000 block of Ballintree Lane, also in Pocopson Township.
Late Saturday morning, authorities released a portion of the surveillance video from Lenape Road that showed Cavalcante walking through a wooded area, emerging from behind a small tree, appearing to still be wearing a backpack and holding something in his right hand.
U.S. Marshals, SWAT, local, state, and other federal agencies were scouring the surrounding area, searching for Cavalcante, whose appearance has remain unchanged. Authorities reported Cavalcante was last seen wearing a light-colored T-shirt, white sneakers and pants and had long, black curly hair and was wearing a backpack.
The search area was closed off in all directions, with all adjoining roads closed to traffic. At least three helicopters hovered overhead.
As a precaution, Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square announced Saturday it would be closed for the day. It is about a mile from where Cavalcante was last seen.
Nearby, Brandywine Museum of Art, in Chadds Ford, was having regular hours Saturday but advised its visitors to avoid walking the museum trails.
“As the search for the escaped prisoner from Chester County Prison continues, authorities have advised us to close the Gardens today, Saturday, September 2. Please check back here for updates on the status of the Gardens,” said a banner announcement in red across the top of its website.
West Chester University canceled classes Friday because of the search and said university ID or a key would be required for access to all buildings. The school’s campus is about six miles from the prison.
» READ MORE: What we know about Danelo Cavalcante’s escape from Chester County Prison
Cavalcante broke out of the prison just before 9 a.m. Thursday, District Attorney Deborah Ryan said. He was spotted about a half-hour later, walking down the road the prison is located on in Pocopson.
Cavalcante was awaiting transfer to a state prison to begin serving a life sentence in the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Deborah Brandao. It took a jury just 15 minutes on Aug. 16 to convict Cavalcante of first-degree murder for stabbing Brandao in front of her children.
» READ MORE: Chester County man convicted of first-degree murder in killing of his ex-girlfriend
It was immediately unclear how Cavalcante escaped from the prison; the facility’s acting warden has declined to provide details, citing the active investigation.
Cavalcante is considered “extremely dangerous,” according to Ryan, who urged anyone who sees him to call 911 immediately. Late Thursday, Chester County Commissioners and U.S. Marshals announced a joint, $10,000 reward was being offered for information leading to his capture.
Staff photographer Heather Khalifa and writer Rob Tornoe contributed to this article.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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