Night owls in and around Green Bay, Wis. have been on the lookout this week for a frightening figure.

A figure dressed in an unkempt clown costume with full face makeup and carrying four black balloons has put a scare into some residents of the city on the shore of Lake Michigan.

The clown, dubbed "Gags" by the administrator of a Facebook fan page, was first spotted early Monday morning. The page contains several photos of the clown purported to have been taken the following day.

Despite a number of phone calls, local police say there's nothing they can do.

"This person is not breaking the law," Capt. Kevin Warych of the Green Bay Police Department told USA TODAY. "He can walk in a clown costume anywhere he wants."