Clown giving candy to kids from his car was just celebrating his birthday, police affirm

Clarksville, Tennessee parents can rest easy. There's no clown driving around the city trying to lure kids into his car.

He was just handing out candy to children at a bus stop because it was his birthday, police have confirmed.

On Thursday morning, an adult called police to report a man driving around the city wearing a clown costume, local NBC affiliate WCYB reported. A group of fifth graders then furthered the panic, saying the clown drove up to their bus stop and "motioned for them to come to his vehicle" while promising them candy. The kids, very reasonably, ran away. The Clarksville Police Department then started searching for "a white male with a painted white face and red nose" and his female passenger.

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What could've sparked a nationwide panic à la 2016 ended within a few hours, as the Clarksville Police Department posted that "EVERYONE CAN NOW BREATHE!!!!" on its Facebook page. It turns out the terrifying clown was actually "an older man who dresses up once a year on his birthday as a clown and hands out candy," the post says. Thursday was his birthday, so he went to some local business and then hit up the bus stop. People who know him confirm he is a "nice man," the post continues.

Get a breakdown of why clowns are often a "trigger word" for news coverage from a professional clown at The New York Times.