The search and capture of Cavalcante | Morning Newsletter
And an open missing persons case
The Morning Newsletter
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We’re in for sunny skies and a high of 76.
It took two weeks to capture convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante after he escaped Chester County Prison. The manhunt required hundreds of Pennsylvania State Police troopers, U.S. Marshals, and agents from the FBI and U.S. Border Patrol to track him down.
He’s now in custody and being held at the State Correctional Institution-Phoenix, a maximum-security prison in Montgomery Country.
Our lead story recaps the events with a detailed look at the escape, search, and capture.
— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Danelo Cavalcante, 34, escaped from prison on Aug. 31 after he scaled a wall in an exercise yard. It was only two weeks after a jury convicted him of first-degree murder in the April 2021 killing of his ex-girlfriend, Deborah Brandao.
In the 14 days he was on the run, he was sighted multiple times. At one point, he stole a van from a dairy near Longwood Gardens and drove it to the Phoenixville area.
In the end, 500 officers had to team up with tracking dogs, mounted patrols, helicopters, drones, and infrared imaging to capture Cavalcante Wednesday morning.
Police converged overnight in South Coventry Township, alerted by a burglar alarm and then, through heat-sensing technology, to what appeared to be Cavalcante in a wooded area. They surrounded him, and a dog from a U.S. Border Patrol team ultimately subdued the escaped prisoner. Cavalcante was armed with a .22-caliber Ruger rifle that authorities say he stole late Monday from a home in nearby East Nantmeal Township.
At 8:18 a.m. Wednesday, authorities took Cavalcante into custody, ending the search.
Click here for the complete timeline of the manhunt.
Within three months, Claudia Fitzgerald has celebrated the arrival of a grandson and the disappearance of her adult son.
Alexander Fitzgerald has been missing since June 21. He disappeared while Claudia was at the hospital with her daughter who was giving birth to her first grandchild. She describes the past few months as “bittersweet.”
Her son doesn’t fit the description of someone whose disappearance garners much attention. He’s Black, a grown man, and someone who experiences mental health problems.
When columnist Helen Ubiñas first wrote about Alexander’s disappearance earlier this summer, Ubiñas hoped he would have found his way home by the time the column was published.
But as weeks turned into months, Claudia prays for the best and fears the worst.
Notable quote: “Every day I wake up hoping that he’ll walk up the path, knock on the door, and be back home,” she said. “I’m hopeful every day. I haven’t lost hope.”
Continue reading to follow Claudia’s journey to find her son.
What you should know today
Philadelphia’s poverty rate is improving, but it’s still the poorest big city in America.
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office asked a judge to revoke Office Mark Dial’s bail in the fatal shooting of Eddie Irizarry.
Philadelphia lawmakers are expected to vote Thursday on whether to ban supervised drug consumption sites in most of the city.
The man who carjacked U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon in FDR Park two years ago was sentenced to 7½ years in federal prison.
Masterman teachers are suing the Philadelphia School District, saying the school system punished them and withheld pay after they publicly demanded answers about the asbestos in their building.
If Rowan University scholarship recipients graduate in four years, they’ll receive a $17,000 cash bonus.
South Philly’s Heavy Metal Sausage and Northern Liberties’ Pietramala made Bon Appetit’s best new restaurants list this year.
It may be only September, but it’s basically already holiday season in the retail world. According to a recent report, most of us are worried about Christmas shopping breaking the bank but we’ll spend a lot anyway.
Bankroll was the most lavish sports bar ever in Philadelphia, advertised as a high-end spot for sports fans who could read betting lines and interact through a proprietary app.
It also was touted as a Stephen Starr restaurant but that partnership imploded weeks before the bar opened.
Bankrolled at about $20 million, it was a big bet.
It opened right in time for March Madness and closed its doors by July.
What’s left behind: Legal filings, disgruntled contractors, and boxes of plates.
So how did it fail? Depends on whom you ask.
🧠 Trivia time 🧠
How long has South Philly’s Sparks Shot Tower been standing?
A) 215 years
B) 250 years
C) 315 years
D) 350 years
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
👀 Watching: Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court justices don’t seem to think it’s up to them to decide if Philly should be able to set its own gun laws.
🍴Craving: Mini pumpkin sponge cakes from Barry’s Buns in Chestnut Hill. Tis the season for all things pumpkin spice.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram 🧩
Hint: Seventh and Market Streets
GAFFE HOURS
We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Kat Stecklair, who correctly guessed Wednesday’s answer: Reba McEntire. Email us if you know the answer.
Photo of the day
And that’s all I have for you this morning. I hope you’re as excited for the day as Gritty appears to be. I’ll see you in your inbox tomorrow. 📧