Police release new doorbell video sighting of Pennsylvania inmate escapee

CNN
July 14, 2023
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CNN —

Police in Pennsylvania released doorbell video they say was taken sometime “the last couple of days” showing Michael Burham, the escaped inmate with survivalist skills who has been on the run for a week.

Police say the sighting was captured south of the city of Warren, a small city in northern Pennsylvania about 60 miles from Lake Erie, around 5 a.m. and shows Burham slowly walking past a residence “towards the woods,” Pennsylvania State Police Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens told reporters at a news conference Friday.

“I won’t tell you what day, I will tell you that it’s been just within the last couple of days and it is in an area south of the city of Warren,” Bivens said. “I really don’t want to get more specific than that – in the event that Burham is somehow able to access media reports of things. I don’t want him to know exactly where cameras are that we’ve received information from and could potentially receive more.”

Doorbell video taken within "the last couple of days" of escaped inmate Michael Burham. Pennsylvania State Police

“I think what it tells us is that he does prefer to travel at night,” Bivens said. “It’s difficult to travel at night. It’s difficult to travel quickly at night.”

Police believe Burham may have injured himself during the prison escape and he appears to be walking with a bit of a limp, the lieutenant colonel added.

“I think he’s desperate to survive, I think he’s desperate to avoid being caught by the police,” Bivens said.

Police said they believe this is the latest sighting of the escaped inmate who has been missing for a week.

He continued to urge residents to stay alert but added that he has no reason to believe that Burham is any more of a threat Friday than he was the day before.

“I have no reason, again, to start advising people that we want to lock down certain areas or that they need to be anything more than vigilant, stay clear of him and contact law enforcement immediately if they believe they may have seen him,” he said.

Burham was in jail on an arson and burglary case. Police also say he is the suspect in a May homicide in New York.

He escaped last Thursday a little before midnight from an exercise yard atop the Warren County Prison, a facility that holds up to 140 inmates awaiting trial or who have jail sentences of two years or less.

Officials think the former military reservist is armed and dangerous.

The reward for information leading to Burham’s capture is $22,000.

Source: CNN