If you suffer from coulrophobia, you might want to look away.
The recent nationwide craze in which people dress up in creepy clown makeup and make threats and disturbing gestures has arrived in Queens.
According to the New York Post, a 30-year-old man reported to police on Wednesday that a knife-wielding clown in white face paint, a red wig and oversized shoes stared at him outside of his home at 76th Street in East Elmhurst and made threatening gestures.
On Sunday, Facebook user “Billy Clownsmith” threatened students and faculty at Francis Lewis High School in Fresh Meadows and Benjamin Cardozo High School in Bayside, according to a NYPD spokesperson.
The spokesperson said the words “Coming to kill y’all on Wednesday. Can’t wait to have fun” were posted on Facebook by the user.
The NYPD is currently investigating the incident.
Another Facebook user by the name of Stephen Kingclown threatened Hillcrest High School and Jamaica High school, the New York Post reported.
“Hillcrest? I will put a bomb of course,” the user warns. “Next is Jamaica High School. Get ya ass ready no joke. I might do it.”
The clown sightings began in Greenville County, SC in August where children reported to police that clowns had been coming out of the woods trying to lure them in with money. The sightings lasted about three weeks after the sheriff’s office in Greenville County tripled their patrol force and the reports eventually stopped.
Reports of sightings have spread to three dozen states since August and police have made arrests in several cases after people dressed in clown costumes participated in robberies.
NYPD Intelligence and Counterterrorism Deputy Commissioner John Miller told reporters at a recent press conference that the threats do not seem to be credible.
“We’re tracking it but we don’t see any real threat here,” Miller said. “We have tried to avoid falling into the trap of putting extra police protection or presence in places where we’ve had these.”
“Our main message is don’t believe the hype and don’t be afraid of the clowns,” Miller added.
Stephen King, the creator of the terrifying clown Pennywise from his novel “It,” has told people that it’s “time to cool down the clown hysteria” on Twitter.
Hey, guys, time to cool the clown hysteria–most of em are good, cheer up the kiddies, make people laugh.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) October 3, 2016
