What first surfaced as a Greenville County, South Carolina headline in late August has transformed into a national phenomenon just months later. In the last few days, there has been a frighteningly alarming spike in the number of clown sightings that have spread to about half of the fifty states. Most recently, Connecticut residents, particularly Quinnipiac University students, have begun to feel the sweeping effects of the clown hoax.
When the issue first broke out in SC, the clown figures were reported to have been lingering in residential areas and attempting to lure children into the woods. The public was first shocked to hear the Greenville story, in which a mother returned home to her child excitedly telling her about the clowns he witnessed lurching in the woods close to their home. Now, the stories and sightings of clowns have spiked, appearing as though each sighting gives rise to another.
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Reports have ranged from masked figures leering at the edge of the woods to others donning clown costumes and grim face paint tempting children with candy to follow them. Every spin on the haunting depictions of clowns that you have seen in movies has begun to materialize in reality. As the hoaxing begins to increase, it appears solutions are at a standstill on how to combat a problem that could either be a serious threat or twisted child's play.
Video uploaded by Chase Parker after he and his friend Patrick Williams encountered a knife-wielding clown during their run on October 1 in Ohio. Viewer discretion is advised.
Many reports have exposed a pattern of the clown activity solely focusing on luring children away from the safety of their parents, homes and schools. However, it is not wise to assume that these clown figures do not pose as real threats to the safety of all.
Recently, however, the clown hoax has negatively influenced students to get involved in the hype. Two high school students in Troy, AL admitted to wearing clown masks and using Facebook as a platform to upload videos that made inappropriate comments. Chief Randall Barr of the Troy Police Department stated that the boys meant for the videos to be funny. However, the incidents at hand are of no laughing matter when the line between prank and crime start to blur.
Other schools in Meza and Phoenix, AZ underwent similar traumas after a clown on a social media account named “Ain’t Clowning Around” began to spread threatening messages. The Facebook account went as far as to threaten to kidnap students or kill teachers. Other reports illustrated the use of text messaging by clowns that were able to infiltrate the phones of some Arizona students with life-threatening messages that asked the students if they were ready to play.
The use of social media and text messaging has widened the door for not only clown figures to target children and students but also for students themselves to engage in the hoax. The growth in the hoax's participation, whether as a prank or not, has created an opening for truly dangerous people to take part in its scare tactics. Officials from the affected states have commented that the safety of children and the protection of school communities are top priorities.
Overall, one death has been linked to the clown hoax while 12 people are facing charges of either making false reports or threats, or of chasing people.
