It seems the creepy clown phenomenon has hit Langley.
Two brothers, ages 12 and 9, spotted a clown standing just outside of Simonds Elementary School on 202 Street and 48 Avenue today at 12:20 p.m. (pictured below).
"They ran to a house down the street and pretended to live there, and they said when they came back out to the street maybe 5-10 minutes (later) it was gone," their mother, Jamie-Lee Cavallari wrote to the Times.
Cavallari says her son wasn't the only one who spotted the clown. Another mom told her she also saw a clown at the side of the road in that neighbourhood early this morning.
These sightings come after a letter was sent home to parents at nearby HD Stafford Middle School yesterday, where several students say they were confronted by a stranger in a clown mask who jumped out of the bush while they walked to school in the morning hours twice this week.
A third creepy clown encounter happened at Stafford just yesterday morning (Oct. 6).
Police confirm that this is "a prank being pulled by teenagers,” the letter reads.
"We have spoken with the children at length about what they encountered and they said they didn't feel threatened and knew it was a prank, describing the clown mask worn by an unknown teenager," said Langley RCMP Cpl. Holly Largy.
"The school administration and the RCMP have investigated the situation and do not believe there is immediate danger to students," said principal Shawn Davids in his letter home to parents.
However, out of an abundance of caution, the principal is recommending that students walking to school be vigilant in the coming weeks leading up to Halloween and in light of the 'creepy clown' internet phenomenon taking place around the world.
He asks that students walk in pairs and not to wear headphones or text while walking, but to be aware of their surroundings.
The creepy clown prank has been taking North America by storm this year, with many sightings of the scary mask-wearing pranksters popping up all over with the intent of causing fear. But this is the first of its kind for Langley.
Jamie-Lee Cavallari's 12-year-old son captured this photo of a clown standing near Simonds Elementary just after noon today.
