Thermal imaging surveillance video shows Danelo Cavalcante on day he was caught
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Newly released video from the Drug Enforcement Administration shows what thermal cameras saw above a wooded area where escaped Chester County prisoner Danelo Cavalcante was hiding on the morning he was captured.
DEA Aviation Team aerial surveillance which aided in the capture of #DaneloCavalcante. Great work @DEAPHILADELPHIA, who played a role in this successful operation led by @PAStatePolice pic.twitter.com/9CymVN50zN
— DEA HQ (@DEAHQ) September 16, 2023
Officials have said thermal imaging was one of the key factors in locating Cavalcante.
The night before Cavalcante was captured, a DEA plane overhead picked up a heat signal west of Route 100 in South Coventry Township.
Tactical teams began to converge on the location where the heat source was moving, but then the aircraft had to leave the area and land due to overnight storms. Tactical teams then held the area during the storms to ensure there was no issue with an escape.
The area was right behind Little's John Deere of Pottstown, and the store manager and workers looked on as police swarmed the area Wednesday morning before loading Cavalcante into an armed police vehicle.
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The DEA headquarters commended the Pennsylvania State Police and DEA Philadelphia's persistence with capturing Cavalcante after the 14-day long manhunt.