It’s time to calm down about clowns.
Maybe you never panicked in the first place, or maybe you thought twice about going out at night alone. Whatever the case, we thought with everything starting to wind down we’d take a look into the timeline of what’s been happening across the nation since August, the history of the scary clown phenomenon and what students think about this on campus.
It all started close to home in August, when Greenville, South Carolina authorities received reports of clowns lurking around an apartment complex trying to lure children into the woods, according to Buzzfeed News. Since then, sightings have exploded across the U.S., though many — especially ones from social media — haven’t been confirmed.
Some notable sightings
A man in Kentucky was arrested for causing public alarm by dressing up as a clown — complete with mask — and hiding the woods. Another Alabama man was arrested for disorderly conduct after scaring residents by running around a parking lot dressed as a clown. In New York, a knife-wielding clown chased a teen out of a subway. And very recently, a man was arrested after he came into an Indian Trail, N.C. convenience store while wearing clown makeup.
Ohio schools were closed after a rash of clown sightings and online threats, with several students arrested for making clown-related threats on social media. Other schools have sent out warnings and notices.
No one has been seriously hurt in any of these sightings, though a victim in a fatal stabbing in Pennsylvania was reportedly wearing a clown mask atop his head.
For a full, comprehensive list of clown sightings and arrests, check out Heavy.com’s article, or Atlas Obscura’s interactive map.
History of clown panic scares
