Police in Pennsylvania are searching for nine teens who escaped from a detention center after a “riot” broke out at the facility on Sunday night, authorities said.
The Pennsylvania State Police said they were working with multiple other law enforcement agencies in the search for a group of juveniles who escaped from the Abraxas Academy in Morgantown, about 50 miles northwest of Philadelphia, at around 8 p.m. Sunday night.
A perimeter was established around Abraxas, state police said in a social media post.
“The escaped juveniles should be wearing gray pants or shorts and a gray shirt,” they said, urging the public to “call 911 if you spot someone matching that description.”
Police did not provide the ages of the escaped juveniles, but Abraxas Academy is described on the Abraxas Youth & Family Services website as providing specialized care for “delinquent male youth between the ages of 14 to 18 in 9th grade or above.”
“Treatment at the Academy is for youth who demonstrate a consistent display of delinquent patterns through multiple placements, serious charges, and problematic behaviors. Youth are admitted to the Academy for either habitual offending behaviors or for a history of sexual offending behavior,” the website states.
The Caernarvon Township Police Department said the escape unfolded after a “riot” broke out at Abraxas Academy.
State and local police responded to the incident and were able to take “back control of the juvenile detention center,” but some juvenile offenders were reported to have fled the facility and were “on the run,” the department said in a news release on its website.
Authorities have not provided any information on whether the escaped juveniles are considered dangerous.
Abraxas Academy is around 15 miles west of South Coventry Township, where convicted killer Danelo Cavalcante was captured on Wednesday after nearly two weeks on the run following his escape from a Pennsylvania prison.
The search for Cavalcante sparked international headlines before authorities were able to track him down using thermal heat technology, with a U.S. Border Patrol tactical unit dog ultimately pinning him down.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
