Escaped prisoner Danelo Cavalcante has been spotted again and has changed his appearance, police said early Sunday as they try to narrow in on the Pennsylvania fugitive.
A sighting was reported late Saturday "in the northern Chester County area near Phoenixville," Pennsylvania State Police said in a statement. Cavalcante had visited the home of a person he worked with years ago, who wasn't home, Lt. Col. George Bivens said at a news briefing Sunday afternoon.
Cavalcante earlier Saturday night visited the home of another former work colleague, who also was not home. He was seen on the home's doorbell camera, and the homeowner alerted authorities, Bivens said.
Police say Cavalcante is trying to contact his former colleagues for support after his escape. As of Sunday morning, police believed Cavalcante was no longer in the Phoenixville area, state police said on X, formerly Twitter.
They added that Cavalcante, 34, had changed his appearance since he was spotted twice Friday within the Chester County search area.
"He is clean shaven and last seen wearing a yellow or green hooded sweatshirt, black baseball style hat, green prison pants, and white shoes," police said in the statement.
The U.S. Marshal Service released new images, seemingly captured on a Ring camera, alongside the statement.
A few hours later, police said Cavalcante was driving a white 2020 Ford Transit van with a refrigeration unit on the top and damage to the left rear fender.
The van was found abandoned in a field behind a barn in East Nantmeal Township on Sunday morning, state police said. Investigators are searching for Cavalcante in the area.
Police warn residents in the area to stay alert and secure their property, as they believe Cavalcante may steal another vehicle. Anyone who sees Cavalcante or has any information about him is encouraged to call authorities.
Law enforcement agencies have encountered "a number of challenges" trying to secure the perimeter and find Cavalcante, Bivens said at the news briefing.
"Unfortunately, there are a lot of circumstances, there are a lot of issues associated with that property," Bivens said. "Tunnels, very large drainage ditches, things that could not be secured, you couple that with weather, aviation being down for a night, there are a number of reasons."
Cavalcante was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole last month, having been convicted of fatally stabbing his former girlfriend.
He slipped out of the Chester County Prison in Pocopson Township on Aug. 31, an escape that was captured on surveillance video showing that he stretched himself across the exercise yard walls before he climbed to the roof.
A prison guard on duty when Cavalcante escaped was fired for having violated prison policy by having a cellphone in the tower, a Chester County spokesperson said Friday.
A reward of up to $20,000 is being offered for tips that lead to the arrest of Cavalcante.