The escaped Chester County prison inmate snuck past authorities again. Officials say they can't monitor all the underground tunnels and ditches in the area.
Mark Makela/Getty Images
- The escaped Pennsylvania prison inmate once again evaded authorities over the weekend.
- The officer leading the search said underground tunnels and drainage ditches can't be secured.
- The prisoner stole a van and made it 20 miles outside the search perimeter, police said.
The Pennsylvania fugitive who escaped Chester County Prison last month snuck past authorities again over the weekend, and officials say they can't monitor all the underground tunnels and ditches in the area.
The manhunt for 34-year-old convicted killer Danelo Cavalcante — who escaped the Pennsylvania prison on August 31 by crab-walking up a wall, running across a roof, and making it through razor wire, authorities said in a news conference last week — has now entered its 12th day.
Cavalcante managed to sneak through a police perimeter in Longwood Gardens over the weekend, Pennsylvania State Police Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens, who is leading the manhunt, said at a news conference Sunday.
Despite the about 400 officers searching for Cavalcante, Bivens said there are underground tunnels and very large drainage ditches in the area that cannot be secured.
"No perimeter is 100% secure — ever," Bivens told reporters at Sunday's news briefing.
Bivens said Cavalcante also stole a 2020 Ford van about three-quarters of a mile from the police perimeter and made it 20 miles outside the area police had been searching. He abandoned the van in a field in East Nantmeal Township, according to authorities.
"We are obviously very concerned that Cavalcante has or will attempt to steal another vehicle to facilitate his escape," Bivens said. "This most recent incident is a reminder that he will take advantage of any opportunity to obtain items he needs."
Cavalcante was also spotted on camera visiting the doorsteps of two former acquaintances, who were not home at the time, Bivens said. He has altered his appearance with a shaven face and a bright green hoodie, Bivens added.
Cavalcante, who was sentenced to life in prison last month after being convicted of fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend in 2021, is considered "extremely dangerous," the Chester County District Attorney's Office has said, according to WHYY.