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2016 clown sightings

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The 2016 clown sightings, also known as the Creepy Clown Epidemic and Scary Clown Epidemic, is a series of evil clown sightings reported in the United States in August and September 2016.[1][2][3][4] While some sightings lacked evidence or criminal activity, others lead to arrests. In Pennsylvania, a clown murdered a high school student.[5]

Scope

While originally occurring in South Carolina, the sightings have spread to roughly half the country's states. As of September 2016 these include:[6][7][8][9]

Incidents by state

South Carolina

Although sightings were initially reported in South Carolina in mid-August, the phenomenon began to spread north from late August through the end of September.[9] While some of these reports have been harmless, others reports have been more suspicious. In one instances, a woman reported a person in a clown costume was standing in her backyard and ran away as she took a picture.[10]

Georgia

The LaGrange Police Department in Georgia received reports of clowns in a van luring children on 12 September.[11] Two people were later arrested for falsely reporting a clown sighting, and four were arrested for making a "terroristic threat" involving clown costumes.[12]

Virginia

The Augusta County Sheriff's Office were notified about clown sightings many times; Virginia law prohibits anyone over 16 from wearing a mask to conceal one's identity.[13]

Pennsylvania

On 18 September 2016, in State College, a clown was seen acting strangely at the parking lot of a YMCA early in the morning.[14] In late September, reports stated that an individual dressed as an angry clown was seen with a knife around the wooded areas behind of Kistler Elementary School.[15] A Reading High School student was stabbed and killed by someone in a clown mask on September 25.[5] York College students have reported numerous sightings on and off the campus.[16]

New York

On September 28 and 29 sightings were reported in Brentwood and North Babylon on Long Island.[17] The North Babylon School District and Shenendahowa School District went on "lockout" the following day, and the Lindenhurst School District employed precautions.[17] A "lockout" means that nobody is allowed to enter or leave during class hours.[18] A Twitter account called "Suffolk Clowns" (@LIClowns) emerged, making (possibly joking) threats to numerous school districts and posting pictures of clowns.

Ohio

On September 27 at about 2 am, a woman called Lancaster police and reported that she had seen a clown with a large kitchen knife in its hand. Witnesses at the location told police that they had seen two clowns, one wearing a gold suit with balloon and the other wearing all black. Police failed to find them.[19]

On September 29, a woman was attacked while on her porch. She claimed that a man dressed as a clown grabbed her throat and said "I should just kill you now..."[20] The victim also stated that he said that "some students and teachers would wish they were never born at the junior and senior high school today".[20] That prompted Reading school superintendent Chuck LaFata to cancel Friday classes in the area, prompting local private school Mount Notre Dame to close as well.[20]

Also, a junior high student was arrested after making an clown-related threat using the Internet.[20]

New Jersey

In Phillipsburg New Jersey, a boy claims to have been chased by a clown with a sword. The boy says that he heard the clown say ""I’m gonna get cha".[21]

Wisconsin

On August 1, 2016, near the beginning of this spate of evil clown sightings, Wisconsin residents reported seeing Gags The Green Bay Clown. There has been speculation that this clown is related to an independent horror film due to premiere around Halloween.[22]

North Carolina

On September 4, children in a Winston-Salem neighborhood reported to police about a clown attempting to lure them into some woods. They described him as wearing white overalls and gloves, red shoes, and bushy, red hair. His face was described as white with a red nose. They claim that he offered them treats if they would go with him. According to police, an adult heard, but did not see, the clown.[19]

Mississippi

On September 21 in Tchula, Police Chief Kenneth Hampton reported seeing a clown wearing a a multi-colored wig, overalls, and a mask carrying what appeared to be a machete. Upon seeing the police car, the clown fled. His whereabouts remain unknown.[19]

Florida

Numerous reports of creepy clowns sightings have been received by the Indian River County Sheriff's Office. In Indian River County, on September 28, while walking her dog, a woman reports seeing a person in a clown costume come out from behind a tree. The person was dressed in a white clown costume, wore a mask, and had red hair.[22]

On September 28, a group of classmates in the Vero Lake Estates area were chased by someone in a clown mask after getting off a bus.[22]

A woman near Victoria Park reported sighting two clowns staring at her. Police alterted agencies in the surrounding area. They also conducted a search of railroad tracks and forest areas near US highway 1 but were unable to find the clowns.[22]

Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma

Throughout Ozarks, sightings of clowns have become common. One driver reported seeing a clown lurking around by Republic High School during the night in Missouri.[23]

Threats on social media

This phenomena has spilled over into the Internet. Threats of violence against students, naming particular schools has resulted in large numbers of students not attending class as well as the lockdown, lockout, or cancellation of classes at schools around the country.

In one example, threats of violence and the same image of a clown referred to a minimum of 24 schools in Arizona's Valley's Phoenix Union and Glendale school districts.

On October 1, Hamburg Pensylvannia schools were locked down because of a clown threat on Facebook and Twitter by a group with the name "Aint Clownin Around". The message read "We will be at all High schools this friday to either kidnapp [sic] students or kill teachers going to they cars ...#WeNotClowninAround."[24]

On Monday, September 26, around 1,500 of Marydale High School's students (nearly half of all students) did not attend after the first threats appeared on the Internet.

In Philadelphia,[25][26] Threats against students and schools have been posted at social media sites prompting the FBI and a terrorism task force to help police investigate. The exact nature of these threats has not been made public.

Such threats on social media have also affected two grade schools in Alabama,[27] Auburn University,[27] Fairborn High School, Columbus, Ohio,[28] some Las Vegas area schools,[29] and many more around the country.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Creepy clown sightings reported in more communities in South Carolina". Fox8.com. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  2. ^ Rogers, Katie (August 30, 2016). "Creepy Clown Sightings in South Carolina Cause a Frenzy". The New York Times. NYTimes.com. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  3. ^ McGurty, Frank; Prentice, Chris. "Clown sightings spook South Carolina, perplex police". Yahoo!. Reuters. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  4. ^ Harris, Chris. "South Carolina Police Chief to Creepy Clowns: 'The Clowning Around Needs to Stop'". People. People.com. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Police look for person in clown mask after fatal stabbing". Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  6. ^ Dwilson, Stephanie Dube (1 October 2016). "Clown Sightings List: Which States Have Reported Threatening Clowns?".
  7. ^ Bell, Kim. "As reports trickle in of creepy clown sightings, Pevely police worry about vigilantes". Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  8. ^ "Clown threats put Central Islip, North Babylon, Lindenhurst school districts on alert". Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  9. ^ a b "Serious or just a sick joke? What we know about creepy clown reports". Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  10. ^ ""This is serious:" Creepy clown sightings reported in second community in South Carolina". Fox 6. 1 September 2016.
  11. ^ "LaGrange Police - Timeline | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  12. ^ TEGNA. "Ga. cops make 'terroristic threat' arrests after clown post". Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  13. ^ "Sheriff warns of possible clown sightings in county". Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  14. ^ "Strange clown sightings by State College YMCA". 18 September 2016.
  15. ^ "Pa. clown sightings: Police responding to another possible incident". 23 September 2016.
  16. ^ "Clown sightings reach York College". Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  17. ^ a b "Creepy Clown Sightings Reported In and Clifton Park and Brentwood, North Babylon". Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  18. ^ Dwyer, Kate. "Two Schools Just Went on Lockdown Because of 'Clown-Related Threats'".
  19. ^ a b c TEGNA. "What We Know About Creepy Clown Reports".
  20. ^ a b c d Staff, T.J. Parker, Rose-Ann Aragon, WCPO (30 September 2016). "Clown attack forces several schools in Ohio to cancel Friday's classes".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ "New Jersey Child Says He Was Chased By Creepy Clown With Sword".
  22. ^ a b c d "Serious or just a sick joke? What we know about creepy clown reports".
  23. ^ "CREEPY TREND: Clown sightings in the Ozarks". 29 September 2016.
  24. ^ http://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/hamburg-schools-were-on-lockdown-due-to-clown-threat
  25. ^ http://6abc.com/news/phila-schools-police-taking-scary-clown-threats-seriously/1536124/
  26. ^ http://abc13.com/news/thousands-of-students-skip-class-after-clown-threats/1529983/
  27. ^ a b http://legalinsurrection.com/2016/09/police-called-to-auburn-university-over-clown-sightings/
  28. ^ http://www.cbsnews.com/news/seven-now-arrested-over-clown-threats-in-ohio/
  29. ^ http://lasvegas.cbslocal.com/2016/10/01/rumored-clown-threats-rile-some-las-vegas-students/
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