WASHINGTON (TND) — Newly released video from Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania shows a murder convict scaling a wall to escape the facility.
The footage was made public Wednesday, which marked seven days since 34-year-old Danelo Cavalcante has been at large. He escaped on August 31 shortly after 8:50 a.m.
In the video, Cavalcante is seen standing near a doorway between two walls in the prison's outdoor exercise yard. He then starts crab-walking between the two walls, his hands on one wall and his feet on the other, while parallel to the ground.
Howard Holland, who is the acting warden of the prison, said Cavalcante then made his way to the roof and pushed through razor wire before he ran across the roof, scaled a fence, jumped down to a less secure area, and fled the scene.
Holland shared the details during a news conference Wednesday afternoon. He said Cavalcante's getaway mirrored the escape of another inmate, Vidra Bolte, who escaped the facility on May 19.
Holland said both escapes occured in the exercise yard, adding that following Bolte's escape, the prison hired security consultants to fix what he described as a "deficiency" in the facility. He said the prison added more razor wire to block access to the roof, but Cavalcante still managed to find a way out.
I can confirm the video does show Cavalcante escaped at the same location as Vidra Bolte," Holland said, adding that the prison is taking extra measures to secure the prison, as well as developing a proposal that involves fully enclosing all outdoor exercise yards. "While we believed the security measures had in place were sufficient, they've proven otherwise and we will move quickly to enhance our security measures."Holland also said one there was one major difference in Cavalcante's escape: the role of the tower officer.
"In Bolte's escape, the tower officer observed the subject leaving the yard area and contacted control immediately," Holland said. "That is why Bolte was apprehended within five minutes. In the escape of Cavalcante, the tower officer did not observe, nor report, the escape. The escape was discovered as part of the inmate counts that occurs when the inmates come in from the exercise yard."
Holland said Cavalcante had been unaccounted for for about an hour, adding that the action of the tower officer is part of an investigation.
Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bevins also spoke during the news conference, noting that a manhunt for Cavalcante is ongoing.
“He’s a bad guy. He needs to be in custody and we are determined to capture him,” Bivens said.
Cavalcante has been spotted five times since he escaped. The most recent sighting of the inmate came Monday night at Longwood Gardens, where surveillance video captured him walking through the area with a duffel bag, backpack and hooded sweatshirt.
Officers are using drones, helicopters and dogs in their search for the convict and have been broadcasting a message in Portuguese recorded by his mother, urging him to surrender.
His escape has forced two school districts in Pennsylvania to close for a second day as police advised residents to say inside and keep their doors and cars locked.
Cavalcante was recently convicted in the stabbing death of his ex-girlfriend.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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