Teen arrested for 'Fontana Killer Clown' scare on social media

FONTANA, Calif. (KABC) -- A 14-year-old student who started a "Fontana Killer Clown" scare on social media has been arrested for making criminal threats, police said.

Police said the Fontana youth was trying to scare people and see how many followers he could obtain on social media.

Fontana Police said they and the Fontana Unified School Police were made aware of the threats by someone identified as "FontanaKillerClown" on Wednesday. They investigated and were able to identify and then arrest a suspect, who was booked at San Bernardino Juvenile Hall.

Police asked anyone with additional information to contact Fontana PD at (909)350-7700.

The arrest comes amid a wave of creepy clown sightings reported throughout the country.

Many of them are considered hoaxes or pranks, but in some cases they have been associated with real threats. In the Bay Area, police are searching for a man in a clown suit accused of attempting to kidnap a 1-year-old girl in Concord on Wednesday.

Other recent clown sightings in Southern California include a report of two people dressed as clowns creeping up on employees at a San Pedro elementary school on Tuesday. One was described as wearing a mask that said "killer" on the forehead.

Even the White House has commented on the creepy clown phenomenon. Administration spokesman Josh Earnest was asked about the subject at a press briefing this week.

"Obviously this is a situation that local law enforcement authorities take quite seriously," Earnest said. "And they should carefully and thoroughly review any perceived threats to the safety of the community."

Other creepy clown sightings have been reported in Temecula, as well as Modesto, Chicago, Indiana, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.