THE fugitive allegedly behind Wednesday’s mass shooting could be hiding in an abandoned Maine cabin, an ex-FBI agent has warned.

A wild manhunt is underway for Robert Card, 40, after 18 people were killed and 13 more injured in the deadliest US mass shooting of 2023.

Just before 7pm, a gunman stormed Lewiston’s Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley and opened fire before making his way over to Schemengees Bar and Grille minutes later to do the same, Maine State Police said.

Haunting surveillance footage shows a man taking aim at women and children with an AR-15-style assault rifle that appeared to be fitted with a flashlight and scope.

Victims have started to be named, including a long-time bowling instructor Bob Violette who bravely died protecting children.

Multiple counties still face a shelter-in-place order as Card, a U.S. Army Reservist and certified firearms instructor, evades their massive search effort.

His abandoned vehicle was found on the Kennebec River where he may have escaped aboard his missing 15-foot boat, authorities told The Messenger.

The recent search developments have expanded the area of danger, and officials are starting to warn residents across the Northeast to keep an eye out and race for safety if Card is spotted.

He is considered armed and dangerous.

Speaking exclusively to The U.S. Sun, Bobby Chacon, a veteran FBI Special Agent well-versed in manhunts, warned Maine homeowners to be wary of any remote cabins that may be empty.

“It’s started to get cold up in New England, and people close up their cabins for their winter,” he said.

Chacon said that Card could break into an empty home and survive for weeks on canned food and drinks that he may have prepped before the alleged crime.

‘PROBLEMATIC’ SEARCH

The stretch of river where Card docked his boat is relatively small, as it’s blocked off on both ends.

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But across the river is a densely wooded area which, if Card successfully enters, could complicate the search, according to Chacon.

“He could use the boat to get across,” he said.

“That’s even more problematic because once he’s in that wooded area, those very forested areas are much harder to search.

“You have to get teams on the ground… it’s very manpower intensive. You pretty much have to be shoulder to shoulder with people.”

Considering his access and abilities with firearms, Card said that search parties should exercise an abundance of caution when entering areas with limited visibility.

“This guy is a firearms instructor, probably a sharpshooter, probably a very good shot from a long distance,” Chacon, now a screenwriter with Criminal Minds, said.

“When you start to corner him and close in, you start wondering what other kind of weapons systems he has.”

Despite the danger, Chacon hopes officials can complete their job and bring Card in alive with no other injuries or casualties.

CHILLING RED FLAGS

This summer, Card had a stint in a mental health facility after he reported hearing voices in his head, Maine law enforcement officials said.

But his family, who is reportedly helping officials track down the suspect, said this was out of the ordinary and that he didn’t have a history of mental health issues.

“This is something that was an acute episode. This is not who he is,” his sister-in-law Katie O’Neill told CNN.

For Chacon, this brief hospital stay could be key to tracking Card down and ending the madness.

“I would talk to somebody who was on his evaluation team to tell us if he indicated anything like this,” he said.

“He might have talked about running away and getting away somewhere, clearing his head.

“I would rely on the advice of and guidance of some mental health professionals when dealing with the physical search and the tactical decisions that have to be made by law enforcement.”