Is Pennywise back?

Just in time for Halloween, a strange clown (or group of clowns, depending on whom you ask) has been seen lurking in the shadows of Wasco, Calif. Remeber Stephen King’s It, anyone?

No one seems to know for sure why the clowns have appeared, or who (or what!) is behind the bizarre sightings. ABC News 7 reports city police said there is no criminal activity linked to the appearances, but one copy-cat juvenile was apprehended last week for chasing his friends while dressed in a sinister costume.

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts using variations of the name “Wasco Clown” claim to be linked to the pranks, but police told ABC they were unaware of any real connection. (The image above was taken from the Instagram account wascoclown.) Some eyewitnesses have claimed the clown is armed with a baseball bat or machete, however police have not apprehended anyone armed.

Sgt. Ian Chandler of the Kern County Sheriff’s Department in Wasco told ABC the sightings might have originally been part of an art project that later gained traction on social media.

Local TV Station KFOR reports the clown has gained a sort of cult following, with residents walking the streets at night searching for the mysterious figure. One clown hunter, Noah Sanchez, says it’s all in good fun.



“It’s kind of fun though to get us in the Halloween spirit and all of us in the community,” Sanchez told the TV station.

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