The man whom a Kildare's bouncer saw walking on Main Street in Manayunk, nearly an hour after missing student Shane Montgomery left the bar on the night he vanished, was not Montgomery, police say.
Law officials made the determination that the man was not the missing 21-year-old West Chester student after reviewing surveillance video from the area of the supposed sighting. police told NBC10.
Earlier Thursday, exactly a week after Shane vanished, Kildare's Irish Pub said in a statement on its Facebook page confirming reports that one of its bouncers had seen Montgomery Thanksgiving morning nearly an hour after he left their establishment.
"We learned this information in our internal investigations, we shared this information immediately with authorities with the hope that it would help find Shane," read the statement on Kildare's Facebook page.
Shane Montgomery, who went missing after a night out with friends, was last seen as he left Kildare's just before 2 a.m. -- minutes after he bumped into the DJ booth.
News of the debunked sighting was released to NBC10 as the search moved into its second week and the same day that his parents, Kevin and Karen Montgomery, appeared on "Today," pleading for information on their son's whereabouts.
"...All we need is a little point, a little direction," said Shane's father. "Somewhere to get us focused."
"People have to come forward," said Karen Montgomery.
The reward for information leading to Shane Montgomery was increased to $40,000 Thursday, thanks to Bimbo Bakeries USA, Kevin's employer, who added an additional $9,000 to the steadily growing pot.
Police have expanded their search and are now asking for surveillance video from the Schuylkill River to Henry Avenue and Green Lane to Lincoln Drive.
Anyone with information on the 21-year-old senior, who weighs approximately 140 pounds and stands 5-foot-11-inches tall is urged to contact Philadelphia Police or the FBI at 215-418-4000.
