Man says escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante stole his footwear: 'They were my boots!'
EAST NANTMEAL TWP., Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- When escaped prisoner Danelo Cavalcante was pulled from the woods on Wednesday morning, he was wearing an Eagles sweatshirt, black pants and a pair of work boots that he stole from a home on Monday night.
Jim Varnes told Action News those are his work boots. He said the past few days have been a whirlwind.
He and his wife live in the area of northern Chester County that quickly became part of the search perimeter late Monday night.
Around 8 p.m., the couple heard a lot of activity outside of their home on Fairview Road.
"All these cops showed up around our house. There was a SWAT team. Flashlights going around," Varnes said.
Police told Varnes there had been a spotting of Cavalcante in East Nantmeal Township off Fairview Road. "They said they saw this man came up through the back of our house."
In Varnes' driveway, he said police found prison shoes identical to the ones Cavalcante was wearing when he escaped from the Chester County Prison on August 31.
On their back porch, under a bench, Varnes' wife made another discovery. His work boots were missing.
Varnes said he and his wife reported the missing boots to police.
Later that night, police responded to another reported sighting of Cavalcante on Coventryville Road, where they said he stole a rifle from someone's garage.
"That's when it really got scary," Varnes said.
On Wednesday morning, just a couple miles from Varnes' home, law enforcement took Cavalcante into custody.
Varnes said he is still thinking about the fact that at one point, the escaped prisoner was just feet away from him and his wife.
"It's mind boggling because we never heard him," Varnes said. "He was quiet."
Timeline and Interactive Map: The search for escaped prisoner Danelo Cavalcante
Because Cavalcante was pulled from the woods in an Eagles sweatshirt, Gov. Josh Shapiro made the following comment after announcing his capture:
"Folks, whoever had their Eagles hoodie stolen, if you could let us know, I'll do my best to get you one of those new Kelly green ones, ok?" Shapiro said.
Varnes jokingly asked if the governor could replace his stolen shoes.
"Well, how about my boots? Can you get a new pair of boots for me too?" Varnes asked.
