Creepy Clown With Kitchen Knife Spotted on the Upper East Side

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — In the latest of dozens of creepy clown sightings and attacks reported across America over the past few weeks, a man dressed as a clown was spotted tormenting subway passengers Wednesday afternoon at the 96th Street subway station on the Upper East Side, local police told Patch.

The clown appeared around 1:55 p.m. in the doorway of an incoming 6 train, where he blocked passengers from exiting, according to the New York City Police Department (NYPD).

One brave 16-year-old ran past the clown and through the train doors, police said — only to find the clown chasing him out of the station. As he glanced back, the teen told police he saw the clown holding a kitchen knife.

Police described the suspect as "wearing makeup, a multicolored outfit and large shoes."

A spokesman for the NYPD said dressing up as creepy clowns and threatening ordinary citizens has become the "in" thing among today's teens. Across the U.S. in recent weeks, clowns have been spotted chasing teens with knives (much like in Wednesday's incident), threatening middle schools, robbing convenience stores, popping out of wooded areas to throw sticks at people and more.

This is, however, the year's first creepy clown sighting on the Upper East Side, according to the NYPD.

Photo by davocano/Flickr