A brand new silent ally has been recruited by the Pennsylvania State Police to outsmart the elusive cop-killer Eric Frein in its six-week search for the suspect near the Pocono Mountains in eastern Pennsylvania, the Ohio State Department of Transportation stated. Each week that the manhunt continues to persist, it costs authorities roughly $500,000.
Termed as the "eye in the sky," a giant 15-foot unmanned Mylar balloon equipped with high-resolution cameras will serve as a quieter, low-cost alternative to helicopters and other methods of aerial surveillance, according to ABC News.
Similar to a weather balloon, the "experimental device" will assist the police by traveling nearly 500 feet above the Pocono Mountains, where the suspect is thought to be hiding, according to Trooper Tom Kelly. Previously, the balloon was being used to scan potential fugitives in Ohio prisons.
Frein, 31, has been accused of ambushing the Blooming Grove police barracks and shooting at two Pennsylvania State troopers on Sept. 12, eventually killing Cpl. Bryon Dickson and wounding Trooper Alex T. Douglass.
Described to be a self-trained survivalist and war reenactor, Frein has been spotted several times, with the latest sighting reported as recently as last week. But the suspect has been able to evade police capture in the 5-square-mile area due to his training and the thick terrain.
Over the six-week manhunt involving more than 1,000 officers in an area near the border of Pike and Monroe counties, police said Frein has been "making errors" in his continued effort to hide from his pursuers, including leaving two "fully functional" pipe bombs, an AK-47, soiled diapers and Serbian cigarettes behind, the Post Standard Syracuse reported.
In one instance, police found a campsite where Frein is believed to have stashed food, clothing, other supplies and 90 rounds of ammunition from the same type of rifle used during the ambush, according to UPI.
With the help of the balloon's cameras, any individual more than 3 miles away can be easily spotted, police officials said, adding that the device will save major daily costs.
In comparison to the police aviation equipment cost of $2,500 an hour, the silent device will cost only $1,000 to deploy in the manhunt, according to Fox News.
"As we stated before, we are utilizing many types of technology in this search for Eric Frein," Kelly said.
