A video shows the moment a convicted murderer sneakily escaped a Pennsylvania prison by scaling up a wall last week.
Danelo Cavalcante, 34, broke out of Chester County Prison — which is about 39 miles away from Philadelphia — just before 9 a.m. on Aug. 31. Security footage released on Wednesday shows the inmate in an exercise yard the day he fled the facility. Using his hands and feet, he crab-walked upwards between two walls onto the roof without being caught.
“In the escape of Cavalcante, the tower officer did not observe or report the escape,” acting prison warden Howard Holland said during a news conference.
The fugitive successfully got through razor wire and a fence before escaping. The prison was not put under lockdown until an hour later. The incident has since forced nearby schools to cancel classes and kicked off a massive, critical, ongoing search to track Cavalcante down.
Click here to WATCH the video of Danelo Cavalcante’s escape.
He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole last month for the killing of his ex-girlfriend, Deborah Brandão, in 2021, CNN reported. The fatal stabbing happened in front of her children, who dashed to get help from their neighbors. In addition, federal officials announced that Cavalcante is wanted for homicide in Brazil.
Cavalcante is described as a 5-foot, 120-pound Hispanic male with brown eyes and black hair. According to NPR, the prisoner has been spotted six times since his escape and was last seen in Pennsbury Township on Tuesday.
Holland told reporters another inmate, Igor Bolte, attempted to escape the prison earlier this year in May and “was similar to the methodology of the escape by Cavalcante.” He was captured in five minutes, and the facility ramped up security measures by additional razor wire to Bolte’s path, which was deemed “sufficient.”
Officials also said they are raising the award to $20,000 for information leading to Cavalcante’s capture. They urge the public to secure their homes and report any sightings.
“He is believed to be in the perimeter of Routes 926 and 52, Hillendale Road and Creek Road,” the Chester County District Attorney’s Office said.
Many people online compared the nature of his escape to Spiderman.
