A local police department in Pennsylvania is reportedly “terrified” after spotting red balloons tied to sewer grates, similarly to the Stephen King horror film, IT.
The Lititz Borough Police Department said officers “want the local prankster to know that we were completely terrified as we removed these balloons” tied to sewer grates across town, which has caused both a mix of amusement and concern for residents and horror film enthusiasts alike.
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While the department has applauded the pranksters for their creative way of promoting the film, slated to release in theatres Friday, they took their concerns to Facebook on Tuesday to “respectfully request” them to cease their attempt at humor.
Sgt. Stephen Detz told CBS News that while they don’t have an accurate balloon count in town, it’s definitely “above 20.”
“They pretty much hit the entire town and the area around the town,” he said. “I mean, somebody eventually has to clean it up, obviously. We’ve removed several, but there are still a lot more out there.”
The sergeant says some of his fellow officers were fans of It and immediately caught the allusion while patrolling. But for civilians, it was more of a mystery solved as residents took to the Facebook post unaware of the pop culture reference. The Facebook post has received more than 13,000 reactions, 14,000 shares and 4,000 comments, with one resident “officially” calling Lititz “the creepiest little town in America.”
The horror film tells the story of a sewer-swelling clown named Pennywise who stalks children from the sewers in the fictitious town of Maine and is seen carrying a single red balloon, luring them to the sewers.
With the film’s release and Halloween around the corner, Pennsylvania State Police have warned civilians about possible clown sightings.
Last year, a wave of disturbing clown sightings were reported in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.
The Pennsylvania State Police said in a recent bulletin that the “creepy clown craze” that began in September 2016 resulted in at least a dozen arrests due to either menacing stunts or false reports.
“With the fall of 2017 upon us, it is anticipated that similar ‘creepy clown’ sightings could be reported starting as soon as September, in part due to the fact that the movie IT will be released,” the statement read.
The Lititz police department tells CBS News they too believe clown sightings will be just around the corner.
“There’s always that possibility, especially with the popularity of this movie,” Detz said, adding that wearing clown costume is not a crime, but should be approached with responsibility.
