'Terrified' police remove 'It' balloons from sewer grates
Horror-invoking red balloons floating from sewer grates plague a town, but the local cops are on the case.
The police didn't spot any clowns nearby.
What's scarier than a killer clown? A red balloon tied to a sewer grate that hints at the horror mayhem to come.
The Lititz Borough Police Department in Pennsylvania faced a real-world version of the lure used by the clown in Stephen King's "It." A new adaptation of the novel hits theaters this week.
Vice brought our attention to this bizarre balloon trend, which is either a brilliant bit of movie advertising or a devilishly clever prank. The cops seem to think it's the work of a local prankster, though there have been reports of balloons popping up in other locations ahead of the movie's opening.
The police posted photos to Facebook on Tuesday, saying "...we give points for creativity, however we want the local prankster to know that we were completely terrified as we removed these balloons from the grates and we respectfully request they do not do that again."
The Lititz Police also took to Twitter to further its tongue-in-cheek response to the balloon incident:
Due to public outcry over our Facebook post we have CID currently on the case & we expect to have "it" in custody 😂😂https://t.co/NawLpxhS79 pic.twitter.com/XVgZcNLMqM
— Lititz Police (@LititzPolice) September 5, 2017
We can rest easy now knowing the cops are on the case. On a slightly more serious note, the department issued a series of tips on Instagram for handling creepy-clown sightings. Remember, "Simply wearing a clown costume is not a crime."
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