‘Creepy clown’ trend reaches Orange County

BY ERIKA Norton
FLORIDA — Clown sightings, likely inspired by a recent social media trend, have been popping up all over the country, but are now starting to be reported in the Hudson Valley.
While the majority of the reports have turned out to be harmless pranks, reports of armed clowns and related social media threats have police investigating and residents on edge.
In the Village of Florida, the Florida School District was locked down on Oct. 4 after a report of a clown sighting and a coinciding social media threat, according to Superintendent of Schools Jan Jehring.
“We had a report that there was a person dressed up as a clown in the vicinity of the school building, and we contacted the police,” Jehring said. “Around the same time, we received a social media threat, let’s say within an hour, that the clown was in our building, which is why we went into a lockdown.”
According to a statement released by the district, the report was that a person dressed as a clown was standing on a wooded areas on upper Farries Avenue. After police checked the school grounds and buildings, classes resumed, but police will remain in the district while the investigation continues.
In nearby Newburgh, photos of an armed clown appearing to be on a bridge on the the City of Newburgh/New Windsor border began circulating Facebook over the weekend. New Windsor police confirmed that there was an incident on the bridge above Walsh Road, according to reports, and that the clown was identified as a 17-year-old boy with a BB gun. He will not face charges. Police in Ellenville in Ulster County also released a statement on Facebook addressing an investigation into Facebook postings by a user named "Bubbo Theclown” on Sept. 30.