Pa. Governor Shapiro offers to replace Eagles hoodie stolen by escaped prisoner
Murder convict Danelo Cavalcante had been on the run for 14 days before he was captured.
POTTSTOWN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Escaped Pennsylvania inmate Danelo Cavalcante was captured on Wednesday 14 days after breaking out of the Chester County Prison.
The convicted killer stole several items, including a rifle and clothing during his escape.
The very first images after his capture showed a bloodied man wearing a Philadelphia Eagles hoodie.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said he wants to help the person who owned the shirt.
"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," Shapiro said during the press conference.
Law enforcement's big break came overnight as a plane fitted with a thermal imaging camera picked up Cavalcante's heat signal, allowing tactical teams on the ground to secure the area, surround him and move in with search dogs.
Cavalcante - still armed with the rifle he stole from a homeowner's garage - tried to escape by crawling through thick underbrush, but a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer released a search dog that subdued him. Cavalcante continued to resist as he was taken into custody after 8 a.m., police said.
SEE ALSO: Escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante taken into custody after 2 weeks on the run
The inmate escaped from the Chester County Prison by crab-walking up between two walls that were topped with razor wire, then jumping from the roof and dashing away. He had been awaiting transfer to state prison after being sentenced days earlier for fatally stabbing his girlfriend, and is wanted in connection with another killing in Brazil.
Authorities said over the weekend that Cavalcante had slipped out of the initial search area, shaved and changed his clothing, stole a vehicle to travel miles to seek aid from former co-workers in the northern part of the county, and then abandoned the vehicle, at least in part because it was low on fuel.
SEE ALSO: Timeline and Interactive Map: The hunt for escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante
Authorities have declined to say how they think Cavalcante slipped out of the first search area, and officials have pushed back against questions about whether they blew a chance to catch him.
Then, late Monday, a motorist alerted police to a man matching Cavalcante's description crouching in the darkness along a line of trees near a road in northern Chester County. Police found footprints and tracked them to the prison shoes identical to those Cavalcante had been wearing. A pair of work boots was reported stolen from a porch nearby.
State police said they believe he was looking for a place to hide when he saw an open garage. There, he stole a .22-caliber rifle and ammunition, and fled when the homeowner who was in the garage drew a pistol and shot at him several times, state police said.
Cavalcante received a life sentence in Pennsylvania in August for killing his ex-girlfriend, Deborah Brandao, in front of her children in 2021. Prosecutors say he murdered her to stop her from telling police he was wanted in the Brazil killing. He had been arrested in Virginia after Brandao's killing, and authorities say they believe he was trying to return to Brazil.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
