Creepy clown sightings have swept the nation and is now in the metro, capturing the attention of Omaha Police Department and school officials after social media posts contained threats to dress up and bring guns to area schools.
On Tuesday, the police released an update to announce it has identified a party they say is responsible and are working to identify others.
The Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office also arrested a 36-year-old woman on Wednesday for filing a false report of someone dressed up as a clown at Avoca High School and at an Avoca City Park.
The person behind the viral video tells KMTV Action 3 News it’s fake and he only meant to scare his friends.
Still, it made the rounds on social media and has people talking online and on-air. Listeners called the “Big Party Show” on Channel 94.1 to weigh-in, urging people behind the sightings to be careful of physical backlash.
“If there's people really running around in clown customs [and] chasing joggers or coming in and out of cornfields they should probably really be careful,” one listener said.
But it’s also an Instagram post of other clowns that’s concerning parents, police and Omaha Public Schools.
In it, someone writes:
“We [sic] coming to [Burke, Northwest and Omaha South] tomorrow. [No] clowning around.”
A junior at Burke High claims the clowns threatened to come to his school multiple times, but each time pushed the date back.
“They said they were suppose to show up yesterday like forty clowns on the football field around 2 [p.m.],” said Sid. “We were all waiting for them just seeing if it was actually going to happen. But no one ever showed up.”
I don’t believe it because I haven’t seen it or heard anything much about it, says Cindy, a senior at Omaha South High.
“I just think that it's silly,” she says.
Omaha isn't alone - reports of clown threats are sweeping the nation.
One school district near Washington, D.C. even canceled classes Monday because of the same threats made online.
OPS officials aren't taking any chances and sent an email to parents Tuesday morning, explaining several middle and high schools have fielded calls from parents about reports of individuals with a clown persona committing potential acts of violence at area schools.
OPD is asking the public to report school threats to CrimeStoppers at (402) 444-STOP or the Omaha Police Department at (402) 444-5818.
