Bizarre 'Cat In The Hat' Trend Prompts Warning From NJ Police

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — The use of a children's book character in a social media trend has warranted a warning from police in Morris County.

A bizarre new trend involving the classic Dr. Seuss character, The Cat in the Hat, has emerged, and Butler police are likening it to the 2016 "Killer Clown" craze.

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Specifically, users are either dressing up like the tall black-and-white fictional feline or using AI to generate him. The cat is then captured on video lurking outside of windows, homes, or along isolated highways, police say.

Police added that the character is often depicted as a "serial killer" or someone who "appears to want to cause widespread alarm."

The whacky trend has taken ahold of social media, specifically Snapchat and TikTok, across the country, including Texas, Florida, Michigan, Louisiana, and Colorado. It's gone international as well, with reports that there have been arrests in Mexico and the United Kingdom in connection to the Cat in the Hat trend.

One incident in Canada, on Sept. 8, involved a teenage girl being chased down the street by a person dressed as the Cat in the Hat. The girl made it home safely, but the person in costume has not been identified (see featured image above).

"Regardless of whether the individual intended the behavior as a joke, following a young person and causing them to fear for their safety is extremely concerning," said Canadian law enforcement. "People should understand that behavior intended as a prank can have serious consequences when it causes another person to reasonably fear for their safety."

In another instance in Kentucky, a minor was arrested following an investigation by the FBI in connection to Cat in the Hat-related threats.

While there have been no major Cat in the Hat incident reported in New Jersey, authorities are asking residents to keep an eye out for the bipedal cat character.