Police respond to reports of clowns on college campuses in New England
Law enforcement agencies responded to reports of clowns on at least two college campuses in the region Monday night.
Merrimack College initiated its emergency response procedures around 9:30 p.m. after a receiving a false report of an armed clown in a residence hall, evacuating a dormitory and ordering other students to shelter in place across the North Andover campus, according to a statement from the college.
The evacuation and shelter in place orders were lifted half an hour later after local, state, and campus police searched the area and found no suspicious persons and no weapon.
“We now know this was a hoax perpetrated on social media, not just on our campus but on several others throughout New England last night,” Merrimack President Christopher Hopey said in a statement Tuesday morning.
Later in the evening, a clown that was yelling or talking into a bullhorn near first year dorms at the University of New Hampshire was reported around 10:15 p.m. University spokeswoman Erika Mantz said the clown left the area, and police were not able to find him or her when they arrived at the scene.
According to CBS News, rumors of clown sightings at several major universities, including UMass and UConn, took over social media Monday night.
The first reports of sightings of unusual or unsettling clowns began in August in South Carolina, according to The New York Times. Since then, the frenzy of sightings has spread to multiple states and led to the arrest of 12 people for making false reports, threats, or chasing people.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com