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Creepy Clown Sightings Reported Across Northern Illinois

Flickr User Chris Rice/CC 2.0

Northern Illinois police say residents have reported sightings of scary clowns.   

They occurred in areas such as DeKalb and Rockford and mirror similar reports coming in from across the country since late August.  

Rockford police say most reports have been unfounded, with the exception of one dressed for a radio promotion.

DeKalb police officer Craig Woodruff says there were two reports late Tuesday night. One allegedly fled the scene when spotted by passerby, but the other was reportedly riding a bicycle in a costume.

“That’s part of the trouble," he said. "Some guys might just be wearing a clown outfit and not doing anything wrong, and in this particular case, that one sounds like that. But that person was gone before we could get to the area and find them.”

Woodruff says those who see clowns acting suspiciously should call police immediately.

“Many times, we talk to community members and somehow they think that they’re bothering us to call in suspicious activity, and that is not at all true,” he said. “We want everybody to call in suspicious activity; that’s how we catch things like this.”

Woodruff says taking photos could also help officers catch potential suspects, but only if the images could be taken safely.