Philly Police, Schools Investigating Creepy Clown Threats

Photo Courtesy Graeme Maclean via Wikimedia Commons.

Halloween might be right around the corner, but Philly’s schools and police aren’t clowning around.

The PPD and the School District of Philadelphia released a joint statement statement informing the city’s residents that they’ve opened an active investigation into a series of “scary clown threats” made on social media.

Details about the threats weren’t included, but according to the press release, school districts in Pennsylvania and other states have received similar threats.

“The School District of Philadelphia’s Office of School Safety alerted both the Philadelphia Police Department and the Office of Homeland Security Saturday upon learning of these disturbing social media posts,” the statement reads. “The safety of our children and the communities surrounding our schools is a top priority for us and we are taking this matter seriously.”

Bizarre clown sightings have gained attention in the past few months, starting in the South and quickly spreading north, coming as close as Schuylkill and Lancaster counties.

It’s not clear what threat or threats the PPD is concerned about, but at least one Instagram account named philly_clowns215 is drawing some concern.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BLC1h4WBGq2/

Meanwhile, the rest of social media isn’t sure how to handle the threats.

https://twitter.com/CYDNEYNICOLE/status/782923995427528704

https://twitter.com/__alllexis/status/782924013525925888

https://twitter.com/mike_mazz/status/782932601153605632

Philly got homeland security involved with the clown threats targeted at Philly schools. Clowns y'all. 2016 is weird af

— cj (@CJExplainsItAll) October 2, 2016

https://twitter.com/alisancurmaci/status/782932707454119937

https://twitter.com/marnibrewster/status/782752543478845441

Anyone with information surrounding these posts should contact the Philadelphia Police Department at 215-686-TIPS (8477).

Follow @ClaireSasko on Twitter.