‘We will actively hunt until we find him’: Police close in on Danelo Cavalcante, who stole a rifle

The search for Danelo Cavalcante entered its 13th day in northern Chester County on Tuesday with schools closed and wary residents being urged to lock their doors after the escaped killer stole a .22-caliber rifle with a scope from a home in South Coventry Township overnight.

Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said at a news conference Tuesday morning that Cavalcante — who broke out of the Chester County prison on Aug. 31 by scaling a wall in the exercise yard — had ducked into a garage about 10:10 p.m. Monday and grabbed the rifle. The homeowner, who was just feet away from Cavalcante at one point, fired several shots with a pistol, but police don’t believe the fugitive was struck.

“We have always considered him to be a risk,” Bivens said. “We just now absolutely know that he has a weapon.”

About 500 law enforcement officers have been called in for the search, including some specialty units from outside of Pennsylvania. State police have been joined by the FBI, as well as representatives from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Border Patrol; U.S. Marshals, and local law enforcement.

About 8 p.m. Monday, police recovered prison shoes they believe belonged to Cavalcante near Fairview Road in East Nantmeal Township. A person in a vehicle had spotted Cavalcante while driving on the south side of Fairview Road. Footprints in the mud matched the shoes he was wearing, authorities said.

“Both of his prison shoes were located,” Bivens said. “Information was received from another resident in that immediate area that a pair of work boots had been stolen from a porch at her residence.”

A couple hours later, Cavalcante apparently ditched more clothing outside the home where he’d stolen the rifle.

“A green sweatshirt and white T-shirt, believed to belong to Cavalcante, were discovered near the edge of the driveway,” Bivens said.

Police late Tuesday were focusing their search on a roughly nine-square-mile area that is about 10 miles west of Phoenixville. The perimeter is bordered by Route 23 to the north, Route 100 to the east, Fairview and Nantmeal Roads to the south, and Iron Bridge and County Park Roads to the west.

Nearby residents have been told to secure their homes and vehicles, but there have been no evacuation orders. Schools in the Owen J. Roberts School District were closed Tuesday. School officials announced Tuesday night that the district would remain closed Wednesday.

“We will actively hunt until we find him,” Bivens said.

At the Horse Shoe Ranch in Pottstown, owner Bryan Donavan said he hadn’t slept for more than 45 minutes at a time in the last 24 hours. The 500 acres he manages, which include a large chicken coop and cows he has to move, is smack in the middle of Cavalcante search efforts.

The helicopters circling above are stressing out the chickens, Donovan said, and the idea that an escaped murderer remains at large is stressing him out.

“It’s weird being out there wondering, ‘Is someone in the woods watching me? Am I going to drive past them on our farm?’” Donavan asked. “And there’s a lot of vigilante people out there that shouldn’t be out there that are driving around with guns, so then you’re freaked out about them.”

As he spoke, Donavan looked out the window and saw law enforcement officers searching his field.

In Ludwig’s Corner, neighbors scuttled from their vehicles to small businesses — where possible. A police barricade along Route 100 prevented cars from traveling farther north toward East Nantmeal Township. On Sunday, police swarmed the area, just a five-minute drive away. Cavalcante, residents learned, had been spotted in the area.

Amanda Michaud, 36, lives in East Vincent Township, several miles past the barricade. The artisan boutique in Ludwig’s Corner where Michaud works was quiet yesterday, with barely any foot traffic. That gave Michaud and the staff time to gather around the computer to watch the live stream of the state police news conference. Naturally, they were on edge.

“There’s homes nearby, schools, libraries, children,” Michaud said. “It makes it extremely terrifying for a lot of people.”

Small businesses at Ludwig’s Village shopping center waited for a morning rush that never came and a lunch hour that was looking to be equally disappointing.

The parking lot in front of the local dentist’s office, fitness studio, and gourmet market remained so sparsely used that the Collective Coffee & Bakery in the center made the call to close at 11 a.m. General manager Alex Maynard said the morning rush lacked the usual flurry of customers, drawing only a handful of people. He blamed the road closures across the street, but also sensed that people were hunkering down in the area because Cavalcante had grown more dangerous since his escape.

“When he was first spotted, people were out and about,” Maynard said. “But with word of him being armed, people have gone from, ‘OK, he’s fine, he’s harmless,’ to ‘OK, it’s serious.’”

Over the weekend, Cavalcante, 34, a Brazilian national who was convicted last month of fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend in 2021 and sentenced to life in prison, managed to elude a search perimeter in southern Chester County near Longwood Gardens. He stole a dairy van and resurfaced in the Phoenixville area Saturday night, seeking help from former coworkers. He’d shaved his mustache and beard and changed his clothes, according to Ring camera video.

Teams of law enforcement officers ― some of whom have worked for 24 hours straight in response to overnight developments — were being relieved by colleagues on Tuesday to comb the search area.

“I believe we will be successful,” Bivens said, “in the long run.”

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he, too, was confident that police would capture Cavalcante, and he issued a a strong warning to anyone who would consider helping him.

“If you do anything — anything — to try to assist this individual, we will hold you accountable and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,” Shapiro told reporters Tuesday afternoon. “As for the individual himself, this is a moment where you’ve got to realize the gig is almost up and you’d be best to turn yourself in.”

In rural Brazil, Cavalcante’s mother, Iracema, insisted during an interview in Portuguese with the New York Times that her son doesn’t “pose a threat to anyone” — even as she acknowledged that he’d also killed a man there in 2017. She said he grew up poor and knew how to survive on his own in adverse conditions.

“His training was his suffering,” the mother said. “It was going to sleep hungry, it was waking up as I wondered what to feed them.”

At last sighting, authorities said, Cavalcante was shirtless and wearing blue pants, and carrying the rifle with a mounted scope and light. Police are urging residents to call 911 immediately if they spot Cavalcante. Residents can also call 717-562-2987 with general tips and information.

Inquirer staff writers Jesse Bunch, Ximena Conde, and Robert Moran contributed to this article.