Captured fugitive killer Danelo Cavalcante survived two weeks on lam by eating watermelon and burying his poop in bid to evade tracking attempts
Escaped convict Danelo Cavalcante survived two weeks on the run by eating watermelon, drinking stream water and covering his poop in an effort to avoid being tracked by authorities, he revealed.
Cavalcante, 34, was captured Wednesday after being on the run for two weeks following his Aug. 31 escape from Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania.
US Marshal Robert Clark told Chris Cuomo that the fugitive was “brutally honest” when he spoke to police after his dramatic arrest, revealing there were three occasions when police came close to arresting him.
“And in fact, he said law enforcement officers almost stepped on him on three occasions,” Clark said. “They were about seven to eight yards away from him.”
The killer terrorized the Pennsylvania community during his spare time by breaking into houses, changing his appearance and stealing cars.
Danelo Cavalcante, 34, was captured Wednesday after spending two weeks on the run following his escape from Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania on Aug. 31.
![Captured fugitive killer Danelo Cavalcante survived two weeks on lam by eating watermelon and burying his poop in bid to evade tracking attempts 2 In an interview with police after his capture, Cavalcante opened up 'candidly' about surviving by eating watermelon, drinking stream water and hiding his poop](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/1694670286_236_Captured-fugitive-killer-Danelo-Cavalcante-survived-two-weeks-on-lam.jpeg)
In an interview with police after his capture, Cavalcante opened up ‘candidly’ about surviving by eating watermelon, drinking stream water and hiding his poop
![Captured fugitive killer Danelo Cavalcante survived two weeks on lam by eating watermelon and burying his poop in bid to evade tracking attempts 4 The Pennsylvania community has endured two weeks of sleepless nights during the terrifying manhunt for the killer on the loose](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Captured-fugitive-killer-Danelo-Cavalcante-survived-two-weeks-on-lam.jpg)
The Pennsylvania community has endured two weeks of sleepless nights during the terrifying manhunt for the killer on the loose
Cavalcante came across a watermelon field during his time off and admitted to authorities that he stole watermelons from the farm to survive.
The fugitive killer drank water from streams along the way to stay hydrated.
He told police he survived their manhunt for so long because he moved mostly at night and he tactically covered up his feces so the search party wouldn’t track his location, Clark said.
“Some of the things he talked about was that he didn’t go far after he escaped,” Clark said. ‘The first three days he stayed in the same area.
‘He was able to get watermelon on a farm. He drank stream water, and he hid alone in thick brush where no one would find him unless you stepped on him.”
![Captured fugitive killer Danelo Cavalcante survived two weeks on lam by eating watermelon and burying his poop in bid to evade tracking attempts 6 Standing next to the officers was the heroic K-9 officer - Yoda - who helped take down Cavalcante by biting the criminal](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/1694670292_601_Captured-fugitive-killer-Danelo-Cavalcante-survived-two-weeks-on-lam.jpeg)
Standing next to the officers was the heroic K-9 officer – Yoda – who helped take down Cavalcante by biting the criminal
![Captured fugitive killer Danelo Cavalcante survived two weeks on lam by eating watermelon and burying his poop in bid to evade tracking attempts 8 Cavalcante revealed that he was almost caught by police three times during his two weeks on the run](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/1694670295_291_Captured-fugitive-killer-Danelo-Cavalcante-survived-two-weeks-on-lam.jpg)
Cavalcante revealed that he was almost caught by police three times during his two weeks on the run
In the interview with authorities after his arrest, Cavalcante told law enforcement officials that he planned to escape the perimeter within 24 hours.
‘He chose a place along the border where he wanted to cross. “He investigated a home where he thought there might be some vehicles and took advantage of that,” Clark said. “And it was the same with the second perimeter.
“He said there were more and more law enforcement officers every day. He noticed air raids, he noticed the helicopters and I think his senses were tingling, he wanted to leave.”
Cavalcante allegedly stole a gun, which he allegedly used to carjack a motorist and flee to Canada.
The escaped convict was finally captured when he was cornered by about 25 officers in the woods near South Coventry Township on Wednesday morning, after authorities used thermal imaging from an aircraft to pinpoint his possible location the previous night.
Standing next to the officers was the heroic K-9 officer – Yoda – who helped take down Cavalcante by biting the criminal.
A witness to the long-awaited arrest of the killer described how the ‘exhausted’ and ‘ragged’ escapee had no choice but to ‘give up’ when cornered in the woods.
The witness, store manager Jim Martin, said: ‘He looked like he realized he had to give up. He looked soaked, like he had probably been in the stream at some point, or just soaked from last night’s rain.
![Captured fugitive killer Danelo Cavalcante survived two weeks on lam by eating watermelon and burying his poop in bid to evade tracking attempts 10 The escapee was eventually captured when he was cornered in the woods by about 25 officers after authorities used thermal imaging from an aircraft the previous night to pinpoint his possible location.](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/1694670298_382_Captured-fugitive-killer-Danelo-Cavalcante-survived-two-weeks-on-lam.jpeg)
The escapee was eventually captured when he was cornered in the woods by about 25 officers after authorities used thermal imaging from an aircraft the previous night to pinpoint his possible location.
The killer’s arrest brought relief to concerned residents of southeastern Pennsylvania, who endured two weeks of sleepless nights as he hid in the woods, broke into suburban homes and stole food, changed his appearance and fled under gunfire with a gun he had brought with him. way.
In a statement, Chester County Commissioners told DailyMail.com: ‘The capture of Cavalcante puts an end to the nightmare of the past two weeks, and we thank every law enforcement officer at regional, state and federal level who was out in all weathers , all day and night – as well as everyone in the Incident Command Center, our County Department of Emergency Services and County Sheriff’s Office – for their tremendous efforts.
The 34-year-old was serving a life sentence for the murder of his ex-girlfriend and was awaiting transfer to the Chester County Jail in Pennsylvania when he escaped on August 31 by climbing a wall.
Last week, the prison guard who did not see or report the escape was fired. Prison officials told CNN that the corrections officer was an 18-year veteran of the prison.