BOSTON — Communities across the United States have been terrorized by creepy clown sightings. On social media, people dressed like clowns have threatened to kill people at several schools. While police have said that the threats are not credible, the alarm generated by the posts has been enough for law enforcement to take additional precautions.
On October 3, Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass. was placed on lockdown after receiving reports of an armed clown. After police investigation, it was found that the reports were part of a Twitter hoax.
With Halloween coming up, teenage pranksters have fed the urban legend of the scary clown. Young people impersonating clowns have posted threats on social media in an attempt to go viral. NBC News reported that a 13-year-old boy in Connecticut made Instagram posts as clowns and threatening to target four elementary schools. State police arrested the boy on a charge of disorderly conduct.
Christy Balandino, a sophomore at Northeastern University, said that she would punish the creepy clown pranksters. “No one should try to scare children,” she said. “People are dressing up like the creepy clowns for attention.”
The clown sightings first started in August with South Carolina residents reporting stories about scary clowns luring children into the woods. The stories of creepy clowns quickly popped up in other states, mostly fueled by social media users.
Some people do not view the creepy clown phenomenon as a threat.
Erin Solinger, a sophomore at Northeastern University said, “I don’t know why people are going crazy over clowns. People are just taking pranks too seriously.”
Evil clown stories are not new, nor is a fear of clowns. Throughout history, creepy clown stories have garnered more attention in the weeks leading up to Halloween. The panic over clowns attacks has gotten worse this year with social media giving children and parents a unique platform to spread schoolyard rumors and parental worries to a wider audience.
At a White House Press Conference on October 4, press secretary Josh Earnest addressed the creepy clowns situation.
“[The phantom clown] is something that I have read about in the news coverage.” said Earnest. “Obviously this is a situation that local law enforcement authorities take quite seriously [as they] review the perceived threats to the safety of the community.”
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