Students at Merrimack College in North Andover, MA went into lockdown on Monday, Oct. 3 due to a report on social media regarding an armed clown on campus; however, according to an article in the Boston Globe, the police did not find any suspects. The lockdown at Merrimack College is the farthest a university has gone as a result of a clown sighting, yet other universities in nearby states also have been the subject of mass hysteria.

  Max Simons, a Walpole High School alumnus and freshman at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, experienced the effects of the social media rumor regarding a clown sighting on campus despite the fact that threat was never confirmed.

  “I [thought] it was a little silly, but genuinely scary. When everyone is as scared as [the students] were, it makes you really feel like you are in danger, [even though] there was no actual threat,” said Simons.

  Furthermore, Tori Lynch, freshman at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT and Walpole High School alumna, explained that although the university did not go into lockdown, the widespread fear is causing the school to take action.

“Campus public safety and the president of the university both sent emails saying that nothing was in lockdown and said that because of the threats at other schools, there will be increased security on campus, and that has made people feel better [about the situation],” said Lynch.

  The trend of killer clown threats throughout communities has been spreading throughout the local area—even reaching Walpole on Oct. 3. An Instagram post was made claiming that there was a clown sighting in Washington Green, a neighborhood near Bird Park; however, Senior Stephanie Forester, resident of area, is skeptical of the alleged clowns in Walpole.

  “I personally think that the threat on Washington Green is mostly students trying to scare everyone. As a whole, the clown situation is a little frightening, but it is starting to get out of hand in places like Merrimack and other colleges,” said Forester.