Danelo Cavalcante captured: State police used thermal imaging to nab escaped inmate

• Danelo Cavalcante is in custody, state police announced Wednesday morning
• He crawled through thick underbrush even while he was surrounded, authorities said during a news conference
• Cavalcante escaped from prison and eluded authorities for two weeks

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. — Authorities in Pennsylvania announced the capture Wednesday of an escaped murderer after hunting for him nearly two weeks.

"Shortly after 8 a.m. our suspect was captured," Gov. Josh Shapiro said during a news conference held hours after Danelo Cavalcante was taken into custody.

"Thank God there were no injuries to law enforcement and the public," Shapiro said, noting Cavalcante was captured with no shots fired.

Authorities said they used thermal imaging from aircraft to pinpoint a possible location and then used ground forces to capture Cavalcante as he crawled through thick underbrush. A police K9 was also utilized.

"[Cavalcante] continued to resist and was forcibly taken into custody," authorities said.

Cavalcante's capture came days after police pushed back against questions about whether they blew a chance to collar him, instead blaming the complex terrain in the initial search area for the fugitive’s success in getting clear of it.

Top state and federal officials insisted that the blown perimeter around the area where hundreds had been searching for Cavalcante included heavy woods, underground tunnels and drainage ditches. They also said it took more than two hours for news to reach them that he had been spotted outside of the perimeter for the first time.

The manhunt grew more intense as Cavalcante broke into a home Monday night and stole a .22-caliber Ruger rifle with a scope. Shots were fired during the incident, according to reports. Shoes and a green sweatshirt appearing to match what Cavalcante was last wearing were found outside the home near East Nantmeal Township.

On Tuesday night, a series of events began to unfold, starting with a burglar alarm at a residence within the perimeter. While Cavalcante wasn't located there, police said it started to bring more law enforcement into the area.

Close to 1 a.m. Wednesday, authorities said an aircraft picked up a heat signal they began to track. Tactical teams then converged on that location where the heat source was moving and held the area as a weather system moved through.

Authorities said law enforcement on the ground "had the element of surprise" and Cavalcante didn't know he was surrounded.

Images and video circulating on social media showed Cavalcante wearing a Philadelphia Eagles sweatshirt when he was taken into custody. Later, footage showed him standing at the back of an armored vehicle while an officer cut the back of the shirt from neck to waist.

He is being taken to the state police barracks at Avondale, authorities said, and will eventually be transported to a State Correctional Institution.

In a news release, Attorney General Michelle Henry said Cavalcante is expected to be arraigned on a felony escape charge, which was filed on Aug. 31. Her office will handle the investigation and prosecution regarding Cavalcante’s escape from prison.

At arraignment, as Cavalcante has already been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, Henry said she would be seeking for Cavalcante to remain in custody.

After arraignment, the next court date, regarding the escape charge, will be a preliminary hearing. Henry said her office would keep the public advised, as appropriate, on court proceedings.

Calvalcante escaped from the Chester County jail on Aug. 31 by crab-walking up between two walls that were topped with razor wire, then jumping from the roof and running away. He had been awaiting transfer to state prison after being sentenced days earlier for fatally stabbing his girlfriend, and is also wanted in connection with another killing in Brazil.