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Fourteen days after Danelo Cavalcante's great escape from the Chester County Prison, he was taken into custody — and residents breathed a sigh of relief.
The final push that led to the convicted killer's capture began just after midnight, Wednesday, Sept. 13, when he set off alarm at a home near the eastern edge of the police perimeter in northern Chester County, authorities said.
A DEA plane overhead later picked up a heat signal just west of PA Route 100 around 1 a.m., but was forced away due to weather conditions, said PSP Lt. Col. George Bivens.
Tactical teams on the ground closed in on the area where the heat signal was found, and were able to take Cavalcante by surprise just after 8 a.m., Bivens said.
The fugitive, still armed with the .22 caliber rifle he had stolen on Monday night, Sept. 11, tried to flee but was "subdued" by a police dog, authorities said. He suffered a "minor" bite wound to the scalp (hence, his bloodied face) but was not seriously injured, Bivens said.
Footage posted by FOX 5 to X shows officers cutting Cavalcante out of his hoodie as he enters an armored vehicle.
Cavalcante was being interviewed by police and then will be be sent directly to a State Correctional Institute to serve out his life sentence, according to troopers. The timing of it all depends on his cooperation. Authorities declined to name the specific prison.
Governor Josh Shapiro, during his opening remarks at the press conference announcing Cavalcante's capture, thanked Pennsylvania State Police, who he called the "finest law enforcement agency in the United States of America."
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