What is Creepy Clown Sightings?

The 2016 wave of US reports in which people dressed as clowns were spotted lurking in public spaces and, in the earliest accounts, trying to lure children into wooded areas[1].

Where did Creepy Clown Sightings come from?

The scare kicked off in Greenville, South Carolina in late August 2016, where residents said clowns were whispering to children and flashing green laser lights from the woods behind an apartment complex[4].

What does Creepy Clown Sightings mean?

It's the umbrella phrase for the arrests, hoaxes, warnings, and copycat incidents involving people in clown costumes that hit US news through the fall of 2016[1].

How do you use Creepy Clown Sightings?

Most people referenced the scare through news-driven reactions to arrest reports, school security bulletins, and NYPD statements about hoaxes, plus jokes about how they would react if a clown showed up[3].

Is Creepy Clown Sightings still popular?

The scare peaked in September and October 2016, with arrests, mask-law charges, and false-report filings being logged through late October[1].

Who was Jonathan Martin?

A 20-year-old man arrested in Middlesboro, Kentucky on September 23rd, 2016 for wearing a mask in a public place and disorderly conduct after officers found him in a full clown costume crouching in trees by an apartment complex[1].

What was Clown Lives Matter?

A pro-clown peace walk planned for October 15th, 2016 in Tucson, Arizona by caregiver Nikki Sinn, canceled two days early after backlash over the name from Black Lives Matter supporters and death threats to attendees[6].

How many US states reported creepy clown sightings?

Alleged encounters were logged in at least six states in the early phase, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and Kentucky[1].

How did New Jersey police handle the sightings?

Phillipsburg officers fielded four reports of suspicious clowns over two days without finding anyone matching the descriptions, and the local captain publicly urged people not to live in fear[2].

Was there a joke response to the scare?

Yes; outlets like Jezebel ran mocking takes on the arrests, framing accused clowns as dorks in costume beneath the mask, and Twitter users piled on with joke posts about their imagined reactions[5].

Creepy Clown Sightings

Q: What did the NYPD say about the clown sightings?

Deputy Commissioner John Miller traced the scare back to North Carolina and told reporters the department was going to 'avoid falling into the trap' of wasting resources on obvious hoaxes[3].

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Published August 17, 2026

Creepy Clown Sightings refers to the 2016 wave of reports in which people dressed as clowns were spotted lurking in public spaces across the United States, sometimes trying to lure children into wooded areas. The scare kicked off in Greenville, South Carolina in late August 2016 and produced arrests, official police warnings, a canceled 'Clown Lives Matter' peace walk, and a Twitter joke hashtag through the fall.

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Overview

Creepy Clown Sightings refers to the wave of reports that ran across the United States in late 2016, in which people dressed as clowns were seen lurking in public spaces near apartment complexes, wooded areas, and schools1. What started in Greenville, South Carolina in late August moved north through the fall, with authorities in the Lehigh Valley, New Jersey, and New York fielding their own calls within a few weeks2.

The scare mixed real incidents with false alarms. Newburgh, New York police confirmed a person in a clown mask holding a BB gun on top of a railroad bridge3, while Phillipsburg, New Jersey officers fielded four separate calls in two days and found nothing matching the descriptions2. Some jurisdictions used existing mask laws to charge suspects, and police departments elsewhere issued formal warnings that dressing as a clown in public could lead to criminal charges1. In parallel, a Tucson caregiver named Nikki Sinn organized a 'Clown Lives Matter' peace walk to defend the reputation of professional performers before canceling under a wave of death threats6.

Origin & Background

Platform

Local news reports / Facebook / Twitter (viral spread)

Date

2016

The scare kicked off in Greenville, South Carolina in late August 2016. Residents of an apartment complex told police that clowns were whispering to children and flashing green laser lights from the woods behind the property, and a group of children reported that the figures tried to lure them into the trees by showing large amounts of money4. The property manager sent tenants a letter warning parents not to let children wander unsupervised at night, and on September 1st Greenville Police Chief Ken Miller announced that anyone caught in a clown costume attempting to scare locals would face arrest. Internet users on subreddits like /r/OutOfTheLoop began guessing the whole scare was a viral marketing campaign for the upcoming 2017 remake of the 1986 horror film It, though the distributor of Rob Zombie's own clown-themed film 31 quickly denied any involvement4. Within days, similar reports were being filed with police in North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and Kentucky1.

How It Spread

The arrest that made national news came on September 23rd. Middlesboro, Kentucky police picked up 20-year-old Jonathan Martin around 1 AM, finding him in a full clown costume and mask crouching among trees next to an apartment complex, and charged him with wearing a mask in a public place and disorderly conduct1. Local WKYT reporter Phil Pendleton shared both Martin's arrest photo in costume and his mugshot without the mask, framed by Jezebel as proof that 'beneath his mask, Martin is a total dweeb'5. Nearby Barbourville, Kentucky police issued their own warning that dressing as a clown in public 'can create a dangerous situation for you and others'1.

False reports piled up alongside real incidents. A 24-year-old man in Winston-Salem, North Carolina was charged with making false reports after telling police a clown knocked on his window, and an 11-year-old girl in Athens, Georgia was arrested for bringing a knife to school after seeing social media posts about clowns attacking children1. In New Jersey, Phillipsburg police fielded four calls in two days, starting with three clowns who allegedly came out of the woods and chased a child in Walters Park on a Sunday night, followed the next day by a jester holding a sword running after a kid on Shafer Avenue2. In New York, Newburgh officers confirmed a person in a clown mask holding a BB gun on top of a railroad bridge, and a woman in Wayne, NJ told police she had spotted a suspicious figure with hands in pockets and what looked like a clown mask staring at her from the woods near a technical school3.

Officials at the top of law enforcement tried to talk everyone down. NYPD Deputy Commissioner John Miller traced the current rash back to North Carolina and told reporters the department was going to 'avoid falling into the trap' of wasting resources on obvious hoaxes, while Toms River, New Jersey did the opposite and directed officers to keep a 'high presence' at every school in town3. The scare produced its own meme in the form of the #IfISeeAClown hashtag, which Twitter user @ChaseBrunner started on October 3rd with a joke about Harambe the gorilla, and a Facebook clip by photographer Chase Prior showing a knife-wielding clown chasing him and Patrick Williams during a run in Newark, Ohio picked up 21 million views in 72 hours4. In Tucson, caregiver Nikki Sinn planned an October 15th 'Clown Lives Matter' peace walk to defend the reputation of professional performers, drew more than a hundred RSVPs, then canceled two days early after Black Lives Matter supporters criticized the name and attendees received death threats6.

How to Use This Meme

Most references to Creepy Clown Sightings during and after the fall of 2016 took two forms. On Twitter, users posted joke reactions using the #IfISeeAClown hashtag, describing what they would do if a clown appeared in front of them and often folding in other 2016 pop-culture beats like Harambe the gorilla4. Outside of hashtag humor, shared news clips, mocking articles like Jezebel's 'total dweeb' write-up of the Middlesboro arrest, and Facebook videos of alleged sightings did most of the work5.

Fun Facts

An 11-year-old girl in Athens, Georgia was arrested for bringing a knife to school after seeing social media posts warning that clowns were attacking children1

Barbourville, Kentucky police included the disclaimer 'This is in no way to be considered legal advice' in their Facebook warning against dressing up as a clown in public5

Toms River, New Jersey directed officers to keep a 'high presence' at every school in town after the sightings, treating them as a real security concern rather than a hoax3

Nikki Sinn's 'Clown Lives Matter' walk drew more than 100 RSVPs before being canceled two days before its October 15th date under a wave of death threats and public safety concerns6

Derivatives & Variations

Clown Lives Matter, an October 15th, 2016 pro-clown peace walk in Tucson, Arizona organized by Nikki Sinn that was canceled two days early after backlash over the name and death threats to attendees[6]

#IfISeeAClown, a Twitter joke thread that grew out of the news cycle around the arrests and false-alarm reports[5]