Swiftwater , Pennsylvania ( CNN ) -- Scared . Anxious . And more than a little surprised . That 's how residents of northeast Pennsylvania are feeling some six weeks into the search for suspected cop killer Eric Matthew Frein . Frein , 31 , is accused in the September 12 ambush shooting that left Cpl . Bryon Dickson dead and Trooper Alex T. Douglass wounded outside the Pennsylvania State Police barracks in Blooming Grove . He has eluded capture despite a massive manhunt around Canadensis , Pennsylvania , where his family has a home . Late last week and early this week , Frein was reportedly spotted in a wooded area in the town of Swiftwater , about 8 miles southeast of the Canadensis area . `` It 's kind of scary -- a little bit nerve-wracking -- because we live so close to it , '' said Marissa Labarre , who rode the bus to school with Frein when they were children . Now , she drives a bus for the Pocono Mountain School District , which closed schools Tuesday because of the search for Frein . Labarre remembered him as quiet , but not `` weird , '' and definitely not the type of person you 'd expect to kill a cop . `` You hear of stuff like this , but you never know the person , or it 's like hours from you . You know , it 's on the news but it 's not ever close to home . So it 's a little bit scary , '' said Labarre . 'Ready for a fight ' The hunt for Frein has turned life upside down for people inside the search area . Helicopters buzz overhead and police seem to be everywhere , all the time . `` Every night , every day , but mostly at night , the helicopters would be flying over our house , waking us up at 1 o'clock in the morning , '' said Cory Batzel , in Swiftwater . He said he 's not afraid , except at night , when he believes Frein might be on the move . `` During the day , there 's too many police around and too much action going on , '' Batzel said . Michael Myron described the presence of law enforcement in Swiftwater as `` constant . '' The area is typically quiet . `` Big armored cars , and the police have all their vests and stuff on so they 're , like , ready for a fight it looks like to me , '' he said . Police have not spoken about a possible motive , other than that Frein has talked and written about hating law enforcement . Authorities have said a review of a computer hard drive used by Frein shows that he had planned the attack for years . The manhunt has already cost several million dollars . It has involved as many as 1,000 officers at times , some from other states . `` I did n't expect him to last out there this long , '' Myron said about Frein , a self-styled survivalist . `` But he must be , you know , prepared more than I thought or , you know , a lot of people thought . We did n't think he would make it this long . We did n't think it 'd go this long . '' 'Rather ... safe than sorry ' The search for Frein landed on one Swiftwater resident 's doorstep . Adam Caprioli arrived home from work recently and found his woods flooded with law enforcement . He said officials told him dogs had tracked Frein 's scent to Caprioli 's back door , but that 's as far as it went . `` Supposedly they got the scent to my house , so that does make me feel a little scared but , I mean , the way those guys looked , they were ready to go , so I know if I called 911 and they came here , I 'd be safe , '' he said . Frein is familiar with the Swiftwater area , having attended the high school and worked summers at a camp just to the west . Fearing his possible presence , nearby Barrett Township postponed a Halloween parade and canceled trick-or-treating , urging children to celebrate at a local high school instead . Officials who canceled school in the Pocono Mountain School District similarly chose not to take the chance . Parents , in large part , seem to agree that 's the right move . `` They could have called us last night and told us , you know , hey school is closed . I could still be laying in bed for another hour , '' a parent of a fifth-grade boy told CNN affiliate WBRE on Tuesday . But , he added : `` I 'd rather them be safe than sorry . I mean , if he 's in the area they should keep the kids home . '' Alexandra Field reported from Swiftwater , Pennsylvania . Dana Ford reported and wrote from Atlanta . CNN 's Michael Pearson , Jason Hanna and Shimon Prokupecz also contributed to this report .
Eric Matthew Frein is suspected in the September 12 ambush of two officers . One of the officers died ; the other was wounded . He has eluded capture for some six weeks , despite a massive manhunt in Pennsylvania . ` Comment: The FBI and local police departments have been working together to find him since he's last known sighting on October 1.