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Frein Look-alike Gets Car from Community Donations

STROUD TOWNSHIP — For many, the capture of Eric Frein meant a return to normalcy in the Poconos. During the search, Newswatch 16 told you about a man who ...

STROUD TOWNSHIP -- For many, the capture of Eric Frein meant a return to normalcy in the Poconos.

During the search, Newswatch 16 told you about a man who was repeatedly mistaken for Frein while walking to and from work.

Now the community response to help James Tully has landed him a new set of wheels for his commute.

Walking to work is now a thing of the past for James Tully of Canadensis, as he starts the engine of his 2007 Subaru Outback.

"I was just trying to do what I have to do every day: go to work, pay my bills and make sure my child support was taken care of. I never expected anything like this," said Tully.

Tully says he was mistaken for alleged cop killer Eric Frein dozens of times walking to and from his job in the Canadensis area.

Police stopped him numerous times, and one night, Tully says he was forced to the ground, a rifle pointed at his head.

"They had put two pictures of Eric Frein of what he looked like in the newspaper. I jokingly said to my wife, ' It looks a little bit like James.' And that's when everything took off, and it turned that it wasn't a joke after all," said James' father, Robert Tully.

The community heard of Tully's troubles and responded in a big way, donating more than $24,000 through the online site Go Fund Me.

"And it just took off, and I am so grateful to everyone who donated," said James' mother, Linda Waddington-Tully.

Tully signed on the dotted line at the Halterman's dealership near East Stroudburg and was handed the keys to his 'economical' car.

He chose a practical 2007 used Subaru Outback with four-wheel drive and about 102,000 miles, costing a grand total of just under $10,000.

What's left over from the Go Fund Me account will go toward taking care of the maintenance and the gas costs for this vehicle, something Tully says he's grateful for thanks to so much community support.

"I think the higher the number went, the lower my jaw got, if it was such possible," said Tully.

The woman behind creating the account never knew James personally until now and never expected such an amazing response.

"No, never, never, never. I don't think anybody did. But everybody loves James and his story," said Dawn DeBiase.

All Tully has left to say is, simply, thanks.

"I'm truly overwhelmed by the community's support and everything, I want to thank everyone for their support."

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