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 the Clown 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.
