What once only existed in childhood nightmares has now turned into a startling reality as 2016 boasts over the new creepy clown sightings that have been reported throughout the nation. The fear of killer clowns dates back to the days of John Wayne Gacy Jr. and now men and women have begun dressing as clowns in order to scare residents in local towns and cities after the first sighting in late August. Many wanted to jump in on the trend without realizing the dangers of wearing a mask with weapons and scaring residents who could be armed themselves.

September 4th was the first day when the clowns began making contact with people in America when in Greenville, North Carolina a young boy ran back to his apartment complex to inform his mother Donna Arnold of two men dressed as clowns entering the woods next to the home they lived in. The clown dressed with a red fright wig tried to lure the boy into an abandoned house in the woods not far away, leaving the family and police baffled to what the clowns would have done if they had succeeded for the police were unable to find the two unidentifiable men. Many of the people dressed as clowns have tried to lure children and has succeeded with 30 being led into the woods with candy and weapons in order to get them to a hidden area unseen by people passing by. Only one boy named Justin Buechler age nine on October 4th in Sterling Heights Michigan has been injured by a clown after the clown cut the boys arm with a butter knife.

“He had red hair and a red nose and a mask on. He grabbed my wrist and then he used the other hand to, he dragged the knife on my arm slowly.” Justin Buechler said. Buechler claims that the clown never said anything, cut his arm, then ran away.

Many of the clowns had begun arming themselves with weapons such as knifes, guns, to or even hatchets to help their appearance become more alarming. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages dedicated to the fast moving trend and to recruit more people into dressing up. Many stores such as Target are refusing to sell any item that can be worn or used as a prop for the killer clowns.

On October 4th Carlos Mendoza, 31, in Newark New Jersey died after being fatally shot in the head after dressing as a clown in order to scare residents in the homes nearby. Found in critical condition by the Newark Police Department, Mendoza was transported to the University Hospital where he was pronounced dead. This was only the beginning to clowns getting injured from local citizens protecting themselves. So far only two women in Cincinnati, Ohio have gotten known for being attacked by males in killer clown costumes.

Riley Woodland, a CHS sophomore who has been interested in the clowns and keeps up with new information views the clown’s as immature teenagers trying to have a good time, but not finding it in the right way.

“I think people originally started it off as a joke, but now it has gotten out of hand. When people run away from the clowns it antagonizes them to be scarier and chase after them.” Woodland said. While the clowns do not scare Woodland and she does not expect to see any clowns with weapons herself, she does understand why they have become a problem amongst unknowing citizens and bystanders.

Younger students ranging from middle school to high school are joining in on the clowns in order to scare classmates and families in local neighborhoods. On October 6th A fourteen year old middle school boy began posting on the Fontana Middle School Instagram page threats for “Fontana’s Killer Clowns” a group of high schoolers who had been dressing up as clowns and trying to scare children in the elementary and middle school nearby. The middle school student will be facing expulsion for terrorist threats that the school is taking very seriously.

The Claremont Police Department is aware of the clown sightings and is keeping their eyes and ears open for there has been no report of the sightings reaching Claremont. Detective Bureau Lieutenant Mike Ciszek at the department urges citizens to stay safe and report anything that raises alarm.