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Merrimack College dorm evacuated after report of possibly armed clown

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — Colleges across New England are dealing with a series of threatening social media posts about clowns.

Monday night, students at Merrimack College in North Andover were told to shelter in place. It happened after a hoax tweet mentioned that a person dressed as a clown was seen with a weapon on campus.

One dorm was evacuated as police searched the area, but nothing suspicious was found.

There have been similar threats across the region and the entire country. Many are linked to a Twitter account which FOX25 is not naming.

"Students across New England apparently are being terrified right now by, really, one or two people on social media," said Merrimack College spokesman Jim Chiavelli. "It's shameful."

Monday night, there were posts mentioning a large number of schools and town in the Massachusetts area. None of the threats have been verified.

Merrimack College says it will reach out to see if it can stop the threats.

WIDESPREAD CLOWN HYSTERIA

In Nova Scotia, drivers say they've spotted a man in a clown mask standing in the road and even running at cars.

In Maryland, classes were canceled at one school Monday over creepy clown threats. Other schools around the Washington, D.C. area are ramping up security.

In Virginia, a 13-year-old girl is facing charges after she allegedly hired a clown to kill her teacher.

In Philadelphia, a 13-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy are facing cyber harassment charges for their posts about clowns.

As FOX25 reported last week, 12 people have been arrested in relation to clown hysteria in South Carolina. 

LOCAL CLOWN REPORTS

  • Merrimack College - North Andover, MA
  • Emmanuel College - Boston, MA
  • UMass Amherst - Amherst, MA
  • Univ Rhode Island - Kingston, RI
  • Univ of NH - Durham, NH
  • Univ of Maine - Orono, ME
  • Agawam, MA
  • Northbridge, MA
  • Dedham HS - Dedham, MA
  • Walpole HS - Walpole, MA
  • South Shore Vo Tech - Hanover, MA