Danelo Cavalcante

on Friday within the search perimeter. The reward for information leading to Cavalcante’s capture would be upped to $20,000. On that day, the tower officer on duty during Cavalcante’s escape, an 18-year veteran of the prison complex, would be fired for his crucial error of allowing Cavalcante to leave the prison unnoticed. The search area again shifted, that time moving west with air support, mounted patrols, and additional law enforcement presence enclosing the search perimeter. Saturday, September 9—The Stolen Van The desperate manhunt for Cavalcante would change significantly on Saturday, September 9. Authorities determined that Cavalcante had managed to escape the established search perimeter by stealing a van and leaving the area. The van, a 2020 white Ford belonging to Baily’s Dairy, was reportedly unlocked with its keys still inside, allowing Cavalcante to get inside and drive away. He would drive about twenty miles north toward East Pikeland Township. At around 9:52 p.m., a freshly shaven Cavalcante, garbed in a green hooded sweatshirt and black baseball hat, attempted to contact a former coworker at their house in East Pikeland Township. The coworker was not home at the time but spoke with Cavalcante on a Ring doorbell camera at the front door. Several minutes later, at 10:07 p.m., Cavalcante was again spotted, that time at a different friend’s home in the nearby town of Phoenixville. That acquaintance was not home either, and Cavalcante would subsequently leave the area. Sunday, September 10—Police Locate Abandoned Van Law enforcement agencies only learned about Saturday night’s sightings at 12:30 a.m. on Sunday, allowing them to set up a new search perimeter and identify Cavalcante’s new look. Cavalcante’s stolen van was found later that morning at about 10:40 a.m., discarded behind a barn in East Nantmeal Township. Apparently, the van had run out of gas. Law enforcement remained vigilant, with Lt. Col. Bivens

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Danelo Cavalcante