(NewsNation) — An inmate who escaped from a prison in Pennsylvania has been spotted multiple times since his escape last week, authorities said in a news conference Monday.
Danelo Cavalcante, 34, escaped from the Chester County Prison on Thursday. Authorities believed he would attempt to flee south and initial searches focused on railways, roads and waterways out of the area.
Cavalcante was spotted shortly after midnight Saturday by residential security cameras in an area not far from the prison, authorities said.
Authorities confirmed Monday that Cavalcante was sighted a total of four times within a two-mile radius since Thursday.
“I know it’s stressful for the community. But I want to assure you that all of us up here, and our respective offices are working diligently to bring this to a conclusion as quickly as possible,” said Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens in Monday’s news conference.
Law enforcement is working with Cavalcante’s mother to record a message in Portuguese in hopes of brokering a peaceful surrender. If he doesn’t surrender, Bivens said deadly force will be authorized.
“We’ll continue to push him hard. I intend to stress him,” Bivens said. “I want to push him hard. He’ll make mistakes. He’ll show himself. He’s already shown himself we believe a few times will come.”
Bivens added investigators are looking into a pair of burglaries in the area, saying they’re of interest, but could not confirm if they were connected to Cavalcante.
While law enforcement continues searching for the escaped man, they are advising residents to be cautious. Authorities are conducting reverse 911 calls to nearby residents within that two-mile area.
Law enforcement officers have been using drones, helicopters and dogs to locate Cavalcante.
A release from District Attorney Deb Ryan on Saturday morning revealed Cavalcante had been spotted on a residential surveillance camera at around 12:30 a.m. in Pocopson Township. There was also an attempted burglary reported around 11:30 p.m. in the same area.
“Remain inside… Lock your doors… Lock your cars. He is still considered an extremely dangerous individual,” Ryan said at a press conference Saturday.
Hundreds of law enforcement officials are searching the area, including U.S. Marshals, SWAT teams and local and state police.
“Law enforcement is requesting that residents in the area remain indoors at this time. Lock your vehicles. Review your surveillance cameras and contact police if you observe anything suspicious. Danelo Cavalcante is considered an extremely dangerous man,” Ryan said.
Cavalcante is a Brazilian man, described as having light skin, who is five feet tall and 120 pounds with shaggy black hair and light eyes.
Cavalcante was convicted of first-degree murder for stabbing his former girlfriend to death. He is sentenced to life in prison without parole.
He is also wanted in his native Brazil in a separate slaying in 2017 and is considered an extremely dangerous person, authorities said.
Prosecutors say he killed his girlfriend to stop her from telling police about the charges against him in Brazil.
“He’s got a life arc of being very comfortable with violence because he grew up in Brazil in a gang,” said retired FBI special agent Robin Dreeke. “He’s comfortable with crime. And obviously he’s comfortable with murder.”
Authorities said area residents should continue to scan video from their doorbells or surveillance cameras for anything suspicious and check their cars, sheds and any outbuildings. They also advised people to check the homes of vacationing neighbors and look out for missing cars, bicycles or any other mode of transportation Cavalcante could use to aid his flight.
Anyone with any information on Cavalcante is asked to call 911 immediately. There is a $10,000 reward for information leading to his capture.
It’s not the first time an inmate was able to escape from a Pennsylvania lockup this year.
A homicide suspect was on the run for over a week after fleeing the Warren County jail on July 6 by climbing on exercise equipment, going through a window and scaling down a rope fashioned from jail bedding. He was caught looking dirty, wet and “worn out” from living in the wilderness to evade arrest, authorities said.
On May 7, two inmates escaped from the Philadelphia Industrial Correction Center by cutting a hole in a fence surrounding a recreation yard, and were gone for nearly 19 hours before officials knew they were missing. Both we captured the next week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.