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Cavalcante, 34, remains at large and wanted by a growing team of state, local, and federal authorities in southern Chester County.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Sept. 6, officials released the jailhouse footage that shows Cavalcante scaling a wall in an outdoor exercise yard before gaining access to the roof.
It's the same way inmate Igor Bolte briefly escaped the prison in May before his immediate recapture, acting prison Warden Howard Holland said.
After that incident, prison staff consulted with engineering firm TranSystems to beef up security in the "escape yard," Holland continued. Their only recommendation was to add a layer of razor wire to block inmates from accessing the roof, according to the acting warden.
"While we believed the security measures we had in place were sufficient, they have proven otherwise," he told reporters.
Bolte was quickly captured because the tower guard spotted him climb onto the roof and reported it immediately, Holland said.
But during Cavalcante's escape, the tower guard did not see him leave and prison staff did not notice his absence for nearly an hour, the acting warden said.
The prison plans to "fully enclose" all outdoor exercise yards moving forward, and Holland said additional security cameras will be added. The tower guard's conduct during Cavalcante's escape is also being examined by investigators.
Cavalcante is described as 5 feet tall and 120 pounds with brown eyes and "shaggy black curly hair." He speaks Portuguese and Spanish as well as some English, and is considered "extremely dangerous."
The total reward for information leading to his capture now stands at $20,000, according to state police. To submit a tip, contact the US Marshals at 1-877-WANTED2 or visit usmarshals.gov/tips.
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