Greenville, South Carolina: the location of the first "clown sighting" of 2016. A little boy spotted two clowns in the woods near his apartment complex and said that they had whispered something to him. The boy's mother explained that they had attempted to lure him to this seemingly abandoned house in the middle of the woods. The police investigated the area, but unfortunately found nothing. The clown has since disappeared into the woods and authorities still do not know who this person is.
Ever since this chilling story circulated on the Internet, more and more clown sightings have sprung up all across the United States. As it began in the Southeastern region of the country, it has since spread to northern states such as Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New York; and western states as far as Arizona and Idaho. The International Business Times website has an interactive map of the United States that shows where the clown sightings have taken place, which you can see by clicking here.
Recommended for you
What most people think are harmless pranks as Halloween approaches, a lot of these clown sightings have become extremely violent and terrifying. One of these horrific cases took place in Pennsylvania a couple weeks ago, as a teenager was stabbed to death by someone wearing a clown mask. A 7-year-old boy in Michigan was attacked by a clown wielding a butter knife, as he explains in a television interview: "he grabbed my wrist, and then he used the other hand to drag the knife on my arm slowly." A lot of eyewitness accounts of people who saw these clowns reported that they can carry weapons including machetes, knives, and even guns. Even if it is intended as a prank, if they are carrying weapons then you have the right to defend yourself and they will be apprehended by the authorities.
Ohio has also become a hotspot of clown sightings all across the state. In Newark, Ohio, near Massillon, a viral video of two teenage boys on a bike path saw a clown standing on a bridge nearby. One of the boys took out his phone and started recording, and as they approached the clown on the bridge they asked what it was doing out at 7:30 in the morning. The clown started running toward them and chased them down the bike path as the one boy was still recording. Several schools in Reading, Ohio actually had to close schools on Friday, September 30 after there was a local threat of a clown allegedly attacking a woman on her porch. Although the woman did admit to fabricating the story and was arrested for it, the school districts are still concerned nonetheless.
In Eastlake, Ohio, charges were filed against three sixth-grade girls who had allegedly created an anonymous Instagram account of a clown. They posted intimidating photos of clowns and made vague threats that targeted Willoughby Middle School, Eastlake Middle School, and South High School. Although these clowns were indeed fake, A.J. Skiba, a friend of mine, reported seeing a clown at 2 a.m. near Lost Nation Sports Park in Willoughby on the side of the road as he was driving. There is no telling whether sightings like these are pranks or violent individuals, so it is important that you keep an eye out and be aware of your surroundings.
For all of you, Ohio University students reading this, yes, there have been several sightings on campus. Some students reported seeing them on Morton Hill, and one was even spotted in a parking lot near Milliron according to sophomore Josh Kitsos.
Although a lot of these clown sightings are most likely harmless pranks in spirit of Halloween, when it comes to murdering people and physically harming children, enough is enough. If you are a clown and the police catch you holding a weapon of any sort, they will come after you and can even use lethal force. It was a funny phenomenon at first, but when these horrific things started happening it forced some cities to actually cancel trick-or-treating out of fear of their children's lives. It is wrong, it is inappropriate, and it needs to be stopped. So grab your friends, grab some baseball bats, and let's go clown hunting.
