West Chester man says escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante took food from his home

A West Chester man came practically face-to-face with Danelo Cavalcante late Friday, when the convicted murderer broke into his home to steal supplies. Ryan Drummond heard a noise coming from his kitchen at about 11:40 p.m., as he and his wife were sleeping upstairs, he said in an interview early Tuesday.

He checked on his two daughters, then slowly crept to a landing on the second floor of his home on Waterglen Drive.

“I decided not to confront him and thought it was a better move to flick the light switch,” Drummond, 42, said. “And he flicked it back at me, which was terrifying, so I told my wife to call 9-1-1.”

Cavalcante, who escaped from the Chester County prison on Thursday, then slowly walked toward Drummond’s living room and slipped out a french door there, Drummond said. As the fugitive left, Drummond saw that he was carrying a backpack, and had put on a white baseball cap belonging to Drummond.

Later, as Drummond was taking stock of his home, he noticed that some produce purchased at a local farmstand was missing, including apples, peaches, and snap peas.

Cavalcante accessed the home through that same french door, Drummond said. The door is old, and doesn’t lock properly.

That revelation was especially eerie for the homeowner: Earlier that day, Drummond’s 9-year-old daughter expressed her fear to him that the door couldn’t lock as the two were sitting on the deck.

At the time, Drummond reassured his daughter that Cavalcante was likely far away from their home, and they had nothing to worry about. In hindsight, Drummond now believes the murderer was camped out nearby during that conversation.

“The last few days have been surreal. It’s tough,” Drummond said. “We’re all jumpy, and I could see this has taken a psychological toll on my kids. If they’re in the room by themselves, they’re calling for us.”