The “killer clown” scare that prompted police investigations in Summit County and elsewhere last week struck Monday night at Kent State University, where dozens of students hunted for one of the elusive costumed villains.
Unlike at some local high schools — which last week were home to rumors that a person dressed as a clown would run through the halls and kill students — Kent State students seemed to find the scare humorous.
In a video posted to Twitter by user @JamarRobinsonJr, dozens of students are depicted walking the campus using their cellphones as light sources. Seemingly without prompting, the students start running through the campus, laughing and shouting at a supposed killer clown who does not make an appearance.
No arrests were made because no clown was ever on campus at all. The scare resulted from a social media hoax.
The incident follows a series of reports across the country that people dressed in clown costumes have been menacing communities. The “killer clowns” in some cases wield weapons or wear scary makeup. Other times, they merely stand in eerie places like at the edges of forests or under dim streetlights and stare at passersby.
According to the New York Times, at least 12 people have been arrested since the trend began in early August. Charges against people include obstructing police business, threatening, disrupting public services and making false reports. The incidents have even prompted fake news headlines on social media claiming someone shot and critically wounded a clown in Indiana.
Generally, sightings of clowns have been deemed hoaxes. Other times, they appear to be pranksters.
In the Kent State incident, the rumor started with an image circulated on the social media app Snapchat.
A blurry image of what appears to be a clown standing under a streetlight prompted students to begin calling campus police, university spokesman Eric Mansfield said Tuesday.
It turned out the image was actually taken out of state and circulated at another college before Kent State.
“It’s the same thing that’s happened on other campuses,” Mansfield said. “A rumor gets out of hand and it turns out to be bogus. There were no sightings and there was no danger to campus.”
A similar incident led to a police investigation at Firestone High School in Akron last week. Police determined there was never a clown on campus, despite rumors and images spread among students.
In another clown scare last week, a caller said a costumed man was walking around a dormitory at the University of Akron holding a mallet, which turned out to be made of foam.
Police in that case were able to identify the suspect, who was investigated for inducing panic but not charged.
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ngfalcon.
