Bucks County 12-Year-Old Charged With Terroristic Threats For Clown Instagram Post

A 12-year-old Bucks County juvenile has been charged with terroristic threats after posting clown-related threats against classmates via Instagram, township police said Wednesday.

According to Bensalem Township police, the 12-year-old made a social media post under the name “BENSALEM Clowns” on Instagram. The post depicted pictures of a gun, knife, and needle and stated “BENSALEM CLOWN we are coming Shafer and Snyder Tick Tock.”

Shafer and Snyder are middle schools in Bensalem Township, where the juvenile is a student.

"This post caused alarm for many students and parents in the community and led to increased police activity around the schools. Bensalem investigators were able to quickly identify the source of the social media post through their investigation," authorities announced Wednesday.

Bensalem Police said the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office has approved charges of terroristic threats and harassment for the social media threats. The student will face these charges in addition to school district discipline, police said.

Bensalem Police said the threat of violent clowns was not viable and "no students or staff were ever in danger."

Nonetheless, local law enforcement said they will continue to have a "strong presence" in and around Bensalem School District facilities.

Anyone with more information about the investigation should contact Bensalem Police at 215.633.3719.