Creepy Clown Sightings

2016viral eventclassic

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.

moral panic memescreepypasta memeshorror memeshoax memes2016 memes

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.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Creepy Clown Sightings

2016viral eventclassic

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.

moral panic memes creepypasta memes horror memes hoax memes 2016 memes

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.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions