Pennsylvania authorities searching for 9 juveniles who escaped detention center following riot

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Nine juveniles escaped from a Pennsylvania juvenile detention center Sunday night following a riot at the facility, according to officials.

The Berks County District Attorney’s Office said the escape from Abraxas Academy in Morgantown happened just after 8 p.m., according to FOX 29 Philadelphia. Multiple law enforcement agencies are responding to the escape.

The Caernarvon Township Police Department said the escapees were wearing white or gray T-shirts.

Law enforcement took back over the detention center after the riot, according to Pennsylvania State Police. There are reported injuries to staff as a result of the incident.

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The Berks County District Attorney’s Office said the escape from Abraxas Academy in Morgantown happened just after 8 p.m. (Google Maps)

Multiple alerts were sent out to Morgantown residents who live near Abraxas Academy. Officials are asking people near Interstate 76 and Route 10 to remain vigilant.

The Twin Valley School District, located roughly six miles from Abraxas, said in a statement that all schools and offices will be closed Monday as the search continues.

“Given the ongoing situation with Abraxas Academy, the District will be closing all schools and offices today, September 18th, out of an abundance of caution. In addition, all after-school and evening activities, including this evening’s Board Meeting, will be cancelled(sic). The Board Meeting will be rescheduled,” the district wrote on Facebook.

Law enforcement regained control of the Abraxas Academy juvenile detention center after the riot. (Pennsylvania State Police)

The jailbreak comes after escaped inmate Danelo Cavalcante, a convicted murderer, was taken back into custody last week to end a two-week manhunt across Chester County. Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies assisted in the search for Cavalcante, who was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend in 2021.

At one point during the search, Cavalcante was spotted on a doorbell camera. He later slipped through a tightly guarded police perimeter around the Longwood Gardens botanical park, changed his appearance and stole a van on a dairy farm.

A prison guard on duty when Cavalcante escaped by crab-walking a wall in the exercise yard was fired.

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Multiple law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania are assisting in the search for the nine escapees from the juvenile detention center. (Pennsylvania State Police)

Two other escapes from facilities in Pennsylvania have also taken place this year.

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In July, homicide suspect Michael Burham escaped the Warren County Jail and was on the run for more than a week before he was captured.

Two inmates – Ameen Hurst and Nasir Grant – escaped the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center in May, but were taken back into custody after a search lasting 10 days. Several others were charged with assisting the escape.