The FBI's Most Wanted Man Was Just Captured

Rejoice, trick-or-treaters! Halloween has been saved for residents of a town in Pennsylvania, thanks to the capture of accused cop-killer Eric Frein on Thursday. Frein, one of the FBI's most wanted men, has been on the run for seven weeks, managing to elude authorities in spite of a $1-million-per-week manhunt. The search had threatened to shut down all Halloween activities in the Barrett Township, but now that Frein has been arrested, all the fun kinda scary can return.

For several weeks, the 7,000 residents of Price and Barrett townships in northeast Pennsylvania have dealt with checkpoints, lock-downs and hundreds of policemen. And they were facing a truly terrible Halloween: Barrett had banned trick-or-treating entirely and cancelled both its annual Halloween parade and 5K Scarecrow Race. Price had said that it was up to the parents' discretion, but strongly advised against it. It was looking grim.

Then, a Halloween miracle: At roughly 6 p.m. Thursday, the night before Hallow's Eve, U.S. Marshals finally managed to track down Frein. He was hiding out in an abandoned airplane hanger at Birchwood-Pocono Airport, apparently healthy and even relatively clean-shaven. When the police got there, he immediately dropped to his knees and gave up. Said Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan, according to The Daily Beast:

He was definitely taken by surprise. He gave up because he was caught and he had no choice but to give up.

The 31-year-old survivalist — is accused of killing police Corporal Bryon Dickson and critically wounding state trooper Alex Douglass on Sept. 12, in a horrifying nighttime sniper ambush — had weapons on him, including knives and a sniper rifle, but went down without a fight. No guns were fired, and by Thursday night, he was being held in Pike County, facing charges of possession of weapons of mass destruction, attempted murder and first-degree murder.

Said Ralph Megliola, chairman of the township's Board of Supervisors, to the AP:

No police were hurt. Nobody else was hurt. He didn't take any more lives. He didn't shoot anybody else, from what I understand. That's the best scenario.

In a fitting end to the terrifying tale of the alleged cop-killer, Frein was shackled with Dickson's handcuffs and driven to the State Police barracks in Blooming Grove — where the ambush took place — in Dickson's old car. Now, finally, residents can again play at being afraid, instead of actually being afraid.

Added Megliola:

Trick-or-treating is on tomorrow night from 6 to 8 in Barrett Township. We as a town think the kids have gone through enough.

Another person who'll be relieved Frein was caught? His unfortunate doppelganger, James Tully. (Although admittedly he's got his Halloween costume sorted!)

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