JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
Accused cop killer and one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives Eric Frein has been captured alive after a six-week manhunt, sources told ABC News tonight.
Both a federal law enforcement source and a Pennsylvania law enforcement source confirmed that Frein, 31, is in custody.
It has been "a very good day," the Pennsylvania law enforcement source said.
Frein was captured by U.S. Marshals in an unused hanger at the Pocono Mountain Municipal Airport, sources said. Frein was armed but no shots were fired. The airport is two miles northwest of Mount Pocono, in Monroe County, near Tannersville.
Frein had eluded authorities since Sept. 12, when he allegedly killed one Pennsylvania state trooper and injured another during an ambush of the Blooming Grove police barracks. At times, 1,000 officers searched the rugged mountains for Frein, who police said had planned his attack and hiding for years. The lives of residents in the area were disrupted by the manhunt, including school closings and event cancellations.
FBI Most Wanted Fugitive Eric Frein Captured Alive (ABC News)
Police believed Frein, a self-trained survivalist from nearby Canadensis, had previously hidden supplies in the woods that he could draw from. They found two pipe bombs, an AK-47, ammunition and various food and supplies they believe belong to the suspect.
On Tuesday, police investigated a possible sighting of Frein made by a resident in Barrett Township, said Trooper Connie Devens, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania State Police. It was one of several such sightings.
Earlier this week, a giant helium balloon sent to Pennsylvania to aid in the manhunt was returned after just one day, police said. The unmanned balloon came from Ohio and was supposed to be quieter than a helicopter and provide similar technology to aviation equipment being used in the search, but at a lower cost, police said. But it was returned just a day later, police said today.
"Due to the tree canopy and rugged terrain of our search area the balloon was not as helpful as everyone hoped it would be," said Trooper Tom Kelly, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Police.
A Pennsylvania town had banned trick-or-treating this year while hundreds of cops search nearby woods for Frein. Barrett Township said its annual Halloween parade and 5K Scarecrow Race were canceled indefinitely, and trick-or-treating was banned this year.
Notes found in the woods, allegedly penned by Frein, offered a "cold-blooded" and "chilling" account of how he shot and killed the trooper last month before escaping into the forest, authorities said.
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