The student news site of Everett Community College in Everett, Washington

The Clowns Have Reached Everett

October 31, 2016

America has been plagued by an epidemic of creepy clown sightings. Since August, reports of people dressed as clowns chasing children, standing ominously on street corners and even running at people with weapons have rolled in. Perhaps the initial few incidents led to the phenomenon expanding into a nationwide situation, but one thing is for sure. The clowns have come to Everett.

The Clipper was able to listen to five 911 calls detailing clown sightings through collaboration with SNOPAC 911, a regional public safety communications center.

“My daughter came home from school and said that there was threats about a clown coming to their school tomorrow and kill[ing] ten students,” detailed one worried parent to an officer over the phone . The threat was made towards Evergreen Middle School.

On Lowell Road in Everett, another clown was sighted by Ryan Fernandez, a Facebook correspondent who captured the sighting using a Facebook Live stream. When asked about the sighting, Fernandez said he later came to realize the clown had been outside of a daycare.

In one of the five 911 calls The Clipper obtained, the owner of the daycare can be heard expressing her concerns about clowns lurking around her business,which she was made aware of by Fernandez’s video.

The Clipper reached out to the owner of Joy Day Care, the daycare center featured in the video, for comment on the sighting.

The owner declined to comment, stating she didn’t see a point in discussing the sighting because “He didn’t do anything.”

Just outside of Everett, another clown was spotted at an AMPM gas station in Lynnwood by another Facebook correspondent, Peewee Nuno, who walked up to the clown while filming. Following the video, Nuno was contacted by a Facebook user going by the screen name “Jennings TheClown.”

The Facebook user identified himself as the clown Nuno had filmed in Lynnwood. In a Facebook post, Jennings thanked Nuno for filming him and sharing his presence with Lynnwood. He went on to say, “I will be outside of your house one night. I followed you home, I now know where you live.”

 

Peewee Nuno and Jennings TheClown discuss their encounter through Facebook messages.
Courtesy Photo
Peewee Nuno and Jennings TheClown discuss their encounter through Facebook messages.

When Nuno engaged in a Facebook Messenger conversation with Jennings, the clown expressed his feelings about being videotaped at the gas station, a video that went on to be viewed over 450,000 times.

“I don’t really appreciate you blowing me up like that but it was meant to be,” said Jennings. He continued with a warning. “And now I’m going to really give you people something to freak out about.”

Since these posts, Jennings’ Facebook account has been removed.

Recently, rumors have surfaced on social media about a so-called “clown purge” that was set to take place on the eve of Halloween. While these rumors have been widely dismissed as fiction, Morning News USA has reported that the FBI and Homeland Security have been notified of the threat.

 

  

 

Student Thoughts on Clown Scare

 

Tia Watson
Laura Vogt
Tia Watson

“I’m not really afraid of clowns because my grandpa dressed up as a clown, but if they were chasing me…” Tia Watson

“I don’t understand why this is happening. How did it all start?” Tia Watson

 

Stephanie West
Laura Vogt
Stephanie West

“If I see one of those clowns walking around I’d hit them over the head with whatever blunt object is nearest to me!” Stephanie West

“Clowns aren’t even scary. Why couldn’t they dress up like zombies or aliens? Those are way scarier!” Stephanie West

 

Laura Campbel
Laura Vogt
Laura Campbell

“The clowns are in more danger than we are, really. There has been more incidents involving the clowns being hurt than people being hurt by clowns.” Laura Campbell

“But as a person who will be taking my little neighbors trick-or-treating, I’m scared that Halloween may be the night that even more of them start appearing. I’ll have to protect the girls if anything goes wrong.” Laura Campbell

“After Halloween this will most likely blow over.” Laura Campbell

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