Meet the Man Who Looks Like Eric Frein That Cops Keep Stopping

ByRHEANA MURRAY ABCNews logo
Wednesday, October 22, 2014

A Pennsylvania man says he's been stopped by police more than 20 times as authorities continue to search the area where he lives for accused cop killer Eric Frein.

James Tully's walk to work crosses right through the manhunt area near Canadensis, where police have been searching the woods for Frein for more than five weeks.

Once, he said he was even ambushed at gunpoint by authorities who thought he was the suspect, Tully recalled.

"Because I'm walking and I'm carrying a book bag, and for some reason people seem to think I'm the one they're looking for," Tully told ABC affiliate WNEP, adding that he's been stopped by police too many times to remember.

"I've lost count after 20 in total," he said. "The most on one round trip stretch was about seven times."

Tully, who works for a metal manufacturing factory, has started wearing his employer ID card around his neck and a reflective vest on his walks.

"The one they're hunting for, he's not going to stand out," Tully said. "He's going to try and blend in. I want to stand out so I can let them know; look, I'm not the one they're looking for. Just let me go on my way."

Pennsylvania State Police declined to make an official comment, but said that if Tully feels he was mistreated, he should file a complaint.

Increased police presence has hurt businesses in the Pocono Mountains and put locals on edge, residents have said. In press conferences about the manhunt, Lt. Col George Bivens has repeatedly thanked people who live in the area for their support.

Pocono Mountain Schools were closed on Tuesday after a reported sighting of Frein near the school campus, but reopened today.

Frein, a self-trained survivalist, is accused of shooting two troopers, killing one and injuring another, at the Blooming Grove police barracks on Sept. 12, and then fleeing into the woods.

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