MID-HUDSON – Reports of people dressed as clowns in Ellenville committing
illegal acts have proven false, Police Chief Phillip Mattracion said.
His department has been made aware of some suspicious video activity on
Facebook postings under the name of Bubbo Theclown and other accounts
with various spellings of the same name.
He said there have also been false reports of alleged acts committed by
someone dressed as a clown; all have proven false.
“The agency realizes that fear regarding incidents involving clowns
in Ellenville has spread, and tragically some are using it to foster their
own twisted ideas of pranks,” Mattracion said. “To many of
us, this is not humorous in any way, and in fact, causes unnecessary stress,
and in some cases traumatizes the children who are the victims of these
heinous acts.”
The chief also said baseless and false reports, and those who commit the
actions, take away from the resources of the community and the police
investigating the reports.
“We assure you that we will find those responsible for committing
these acts, and will hold them accountable. We will continue to commit
the resources necessary to ensure the safety of our children, and the
residents of this community.”
Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to call Ellenville
Police or leave an anonymous message on the department’s Facebook
page.
Meanwhile, Newburgh City and New Windsor Police were reported searching
in the area of railroad tracks for a report of several people wearing
clown masks and carrying a rifle. Police have released no information
about that incident.
