Parents Face Paying Restitution In Clown Hoaxes, Prosecutor's Office Says

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Parents, take heed: You will be held responsible if your child makes a false claim about a killer clown.

The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, in announcing charges against two girls who perpetrated threatening clown hoaxes in the span of a day in the Toms River area, noted that New Jersey law allows parents to be held responsible financially in cases where a hoax claim causes alarm.

"Under New Jersey’s current law, the parents will be required to make restitution for the police services expended while responding to the false public alarm," said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. "That amount will be determined at a future date."

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The incidents, Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, are the latest in a craze of hoaxes that have spread across the country since reports in late August of clowns attempting to lure children in the woods in South Carolina.

Last week, security was increased in several school districts, including Toms River, Brick, and Jackson, in response to rampant rumors about killer clowns. The New Jersey State Police told area authorities that none of the rumors had been substantiated and there were no credible threats to any schools.

But the rumors and hoaxes have continued unabated, thanks to social media, Della Fave said.

"It's that old schoolroom game, where one person whispers something to the person next to them, and by the time it goes around the whole room it takes on a life of its own," he said.

But the incidents still provoke a significant law enforcement response in a day and age where every threat is taken seriously because there have been so many deadly incidents across the country.

Tuesday night and Wednesday were no different.

Della Fave said Toms River detectives and the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office's High Tech Crimes Unit already were hard at work tracing the origins of an Instagram post from “Killerclownfromnj” threatening violence at Toms River Intermediate East when South Toms River police contacted them about a teenage girl's claim that she had been chased by a knife-wielding clown.

The 14-year-old girl's claim had been shared in a post on Facebook by her mother that was quickly making the rounds Wednesday morning.

Read more: South Toms River Teen Charged With Creating False Alarm After Telling Police She Was Chased By Knife-Wielding Clown

"The partnering agencies immediately began efforts to substantiate the alarming Facebook post of the alleged attack and to apprehend the reported clown attacker," Della Fave said. South Toms River Police quickly increased patrols and the High Tech Crime Unit delved into the origin of the post in order to collect additional information.

The 14-year-old girl in that case recanted her story, but the law enforcement response was considerable, Della Fave said.

"The extra patrols plus you have to realize that officers were pulled away from other things," he said, which has been a significant problem as a results of the rampant rumors and hoaxes.

The Toms River Intermediate East incident, where a 12-year-old girl was charged, resulted in heightened tensions at the Toms River Regional District's schools as well as additional law enforcement.

Read more: 12-Year-Old Girl Charged In Clown Threat To Toms River School: Police

Though the criminal charge that each girl faces is a third-degree offense, which is indictable under state law, the girls will face their charges in juvenile court, Della Fave said.

Reports of clowns trying to lure children into the woods were recently under investigation in Greenville, South Carolina. Other sightings have been reported in Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky and Maryland. However, authorities believe many of these reports are unsubstantiated, the Washington Post says.

"None of the (Ocean County) reports, including those citing attacks, have been substantiated. We simply remind people to follow common sense advice regarding strangers or suspicious individuals; call the police," Della Fave said.

"People have to realize you cannot believe everything you read on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram," he said.

Read more:

• More Creepy Clown Sightings In NJ, And They're Getting Creepier
• Creepy Clown Rumors Stir Caution At Toms River Schools
• Creepy Clown Rumors Stir Caution At Brick Schools
• West Orange Schools, Police Investigate ‘Bobby The Clown’ Instagram Post

Social media has been fueling the rapid spread of killer clown hoaxes. Karen Wall photo