Police are warning that escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante is armed with a weapon after he reportedly broke into a home in Pennsylvania and stole a rifle.

Cavalcante, 34, has eluded authorities since breaking out of the Chester County Prison on August 31 while awaiting transfer to state prison.

The Pennsylvania State Police said early on Tuesday that troopers were pursuing Cavalcante in South Coventry Township and urged residents to stay inside their homes.

Police "are pursuing escaped convict Danelo Cavalcante in the area of Ridge Rd/Coventryville Rd/Daisy Point Rd in South Coventry Township, Chester County," state police wrote in a post on Facebook at 1:38 a.m.

"Cavalcante is armed with a weapon. Residents in the area are asked continue to lock all external doors and windows, secure vehicles, and remain indoors. Please review your surveillance cameras and contact police if you observe anything suspicious. If you see him, do not approach."

A homeowner in the 3600 block of Coventryville Road said Cavalcante broke into their home on Monday night and stole a .22-caliber Ruger rifle with a scope, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Shots were reportedly fired during the incident, but it was unclear who fired, an unnamed law enforcement source told the Inquirer.

The source said shoes and a green sweatshirt appearing to match what Cavalcante was last wearing were found outside the home.

Newsweek has contacted the state police for further comment via email.

At a news conference on Monday, authorities pushed back against questions about whether they had blown a chance to collar Cavalcante after he slipped out of the 8-square-mile search area over the weekend.

Police said he stole a dairy delivery van that had been left unlocked with the keys in it, then abandoned it in a field more than 20 miles north of the search area after unsuccessfully seeking help at the homes of two former colleagues late on Saturday.

Cavalcante also changed his appearance, and now appears clean-shaven.

Robert Clark, the supervisor of the U.S. Marshals fugitive task force in Philadelphia, said law enforcement teams have the advantage now that Cavalcante is apparently in a less rural area."Now we're going to prepare for the long game, and the long game is what we do best," Clark said.

Cavalcante was sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend in 2021. Prosecutors say he wanted to stop her from telling police that he is wanted in a killing in his home country of Brazil.

To escape, he scaled a wall by crab-walking up from the recreation yard. He then climbed over razor wire, ran across a roof and jumped to the ground. His escape went undetected for more than an hour until guards took a headcount.

The tower guard who was on duty when Cavalcante escaped has been fired.

Update 9/12/23, 3:50 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.

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