Clowns are apparently emerging from the woods in the Carolinas, and at least one reportedly had a machete.
A woman told Forsyth County, N.C. sheriff's officials that a clown armed with the weapon attempted to lure her into the woods Monday night near Walkertown, according to WEB.
She described the man having a red nose and bushy hair, and wearing black gloves, tie and white shoes.
Several other clown sightings have been reported in the same region of North Carolina over the past few days, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
Stock photo of a scary clown with red hair. (Photo: Getty Images)
In one of the cases, a clown tried to lure two kids into the woods around 8:30 p.m. Sunday in Winston-Salem, said police.
He offered them treats, but ran away when the cops were called.
In another case from Greensboro, a man decided to take things into his own hands when he saw a clown emerge from the woods.
A clown wearing a scary mask stepped out of the trees Tuesday morning, only to be chased by a man wielding a machete, according to a press release.
The clown ran back into the woods. But when officers arrived, they couldn't find any sign of a person with that description.
Children offered money
The sightings follow similar cases reported in South Carolina's Greenville County, according to The New York Times.
The Times obtained a sheriff's office report that stated the costumed suspects offered children money to go into the woods — where the clowns reportedly live in a house.
Officials said they checked out that house and found nothing relating to clowns.
The sheriff's office also looked into reports that some residents had fired shots into the trees.
One Greenville man tweeted a photo of his scary sighting.
No one's sure why the clowns are popping up everywhere. A theory they were tied to marketing for a new Rob Zombie film was debunked after the distribution company denied its involvement.
Unless it's part of their job, people over the age of 16 are banned from disguising themselves as clowns in South Carolina, according to Greenville Online.
While it's legal to dress up as a clown in North Carolina, Greensboro officials are discouraging copycats, given how many people are scared of the entertainers.
"Copycats unnecessarily alarm the public and place an unnecessary drain on police resources."
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