9 juveniles who escaped Pennsylvania detention center after overpowering guards now captured, state police say

Pennsylvania Police end manhunt for 9 escapees from Abraxas Academy in Morgantown

All nine juveniles who escaped a Pennsylvania detention facility after allegedly overpowering two female guards have since been captured, state police announced Monday morning.

"We're going to interview all nine of them," Pennsylvania State Police Trooper David Beohm said at a news conference. "I know there's stuff in the works right now to decide where they are going to go after that takes place." 

The update comes after Pennsylvania State Police said on X, formerly known as Twitter, earlier Monday that four of the nine had been taken into custody. 

The juveniles had escaped from Abraxas Academy at around 8:00 p.m. on Sunday. Despite initial reports of a riot, Beohm said the nine juveniles worked together to overpower two female guards and take their keys. He clarified that there was no riot, saying just the nine male escapees were involved. 

BRAZILIAN PROSECUTOR BELIEVED DANELO CAVALCANTE ESCAPED PENNSYLVANIA PRISON TO FACE CHARGE IN 'LENIENT' BRAZIL

Nine juveniles escaped Abraxas Academy on Sunday during a riot, police said. (Google Maps)

Beohm said the first four apprehended were taken into custody at about 5:45 a.m. on Oak Grove Road. He said the four juveniles banged on the door of a home there saying they "were done, they were tired, they were cold," and authorities came to apprehend them. 

At 6:36 a.m., there was a report of a stolen vehicle from a trailer also on Oak Grove Road. Authorities already nearby got into a minor pursuit and stopped the vehicle. Four were taken into custody from the pick-up truck, while a fifth "took off in the field and was taken into custody shortly thereafter," Beohm told reporters. 

Pennsylvania State Police Trooper David Beohm provides a 7:30 a.m. update Monday saying all nine juvenile escapees have been captured. (WFXT)

"They will all be charged with escape," Beohm said, adding that additional charges were expected, including potentially criminal mischief for allegedly breaking a car window on Estate Drive in an attempt the steal the vehicle while still on the run. All nine were captured about four miles from the detention center. 

State and local police were called late Sunday to take control of the juvenile center in Morgantown, about 49 miles northwest of Philadelphia, after initial reports of a riot beginning inside the facility, the Caernarvon Township Police Department said earlier.

CONVICTED KILLER DANELO CAVALCANTE CAPTURED IN PENNSYLVANIA NEARLY 2 WEEKS AFTER PRISON ESCAPE

Nine juveniles escaped Sunday from the Abraxas Academy in Morgantown, Pa. (KYW via NNS)

Abraxas Academy is a secure residential treatment program providing "specialized care for delinquent male youth between the ages of 14 to 18 in 9th grade or above," according to the facility's website. 

Beohm said he had personally seen two of the escapees after their capture. 

Pennsylvania State Police Trooper David Beohm speaks to reporters after nine juveniles who escaped from Abraxas Academy were recaptured Monday.  (WFXT)

"They were really dirty looking and look like they have probably been out walking in the woods since eight o'clock last night," Beohm said. 

The Twin Valley School District closed all schools and offices Monday, as well as after-school and evening activities, including a scheduled school board meeting, newspaper Reading Eagle reported. 

Officials in Pennsylvania released the mugshot for convicted killer Danelo Cavalcante after he was captured on Wednesday morning, nearly two weeks after he escaped from Chester County Prison. (Pennsylvania Department of Corrections )

The escape came shortly after the capture of Danelo Cavalcante, a convicted murderer who broke out of prison and eluded Pennsylvania authorities for nearly two weeks despite an extended manhunt. Cavalcante escaped from the Chester County Jail on Aug. 31 by scaling a wall topped with razor wire and jumping from the roof, authorities said.

 

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Cavalcante fled Brazil in 2018 a few months after allegedly fatally shooting a man who owed him money and was later sentenced to life in prison in the U.S. for killing his girlfriend in 2021. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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