Rumors of sightings of people dressed as clowns have spread across social media, leading school districts and authorities across North Texas to investigate the reports.
Monday, the Dallas Independent School District confirmed an investigation with police was underway into alleged sightings.
"The safety and security of students is our No. 1 priority," wrote Dallas ISD in a tweet. "We are aware of the 'clown' threats and the situation is under control."
Richardson ISD also commented after there were reports that schools were in lock downs after clowns were spotted in the area. District officials said the rumors were unfounded and schools weren't placed on a lock down.
"Like some other school districts in the area, RISD schools have been the subject of various non-specific online 'clown threats' today," the district wrote. "RISD has continued to work with Richardson Police and are treating the online posts as hoaxes. There have not been credible threats made against any RISD school. All RISD schools have operated today on a normal schedule, without disruption or lockdown."
Late Sunday in Fort Worth, police responded to an unusual call after a concerned resident reported seeing a person dressed as a clown running down the sidewalk and yelling.
#DallasISD Police and Dallas Police are investigating all leads relating to clown threats. We will continue to monitor & share information.
— Dallas ISD (@dallasschools) October 3, 2016
The call came out at 11:30 p.m. in a residential area in the 5800 block of Melanie Lane, near I-35W and Loop 820 in North Fort Worth.
Officers couldn't find the supposed clown, however, and no report was taken, as they couldn'tt determine that a criminal offense had occurred.
Garland PD reports that someone called at about 2 a.m. Sunday about a man dressed as a clown standing in the 600 block of Parker Circle near Highway 66 and Davidson. No clown was found, no report was taken.
Video was also circulating on Facebook of an alleged sighting in Irving. However, the video is dark and the figure unclear. Some images in which posters have claimed were taken in North Texas have been linked back to previous sightings from other areas in the country through a quick Google image search.
Hey, guys, time to cool the clown hysteria--most of em are good, cheer up the kiddies, make people laugh.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) October 3, 2016
Since August, people across the country have been on edge after various reports of clown sightings in more than 10 states.
The reports have varied in nature and some of them have been deemed to be false.
Regardless, authorities across the nation are taking each situation seriously.
Last week several schools in Cincinnati, Ohio closed because a woman reported being attacked by a male dressed as a clown.
On Friday threats posted on Facebook claimed that clowns were going to kidnap students and kill teachers. This caused several schools nationwide to take precautionary action, including heightened security and lock downs.
In August, children in Greenville, South Carolina reported clowns were trying to lure them into the woods with money, although those claims have yet to be substantiated and no arrests have been made.