A creepy clown has been freaking out residents of Staten Island, according to local media reports. But it appears the bizarro bozo may be part of a marketing stunt.

The silent clown, which loosely resembles the Pennywise character from the Stephen King book “It,” has been spotted at various locations — including street corners and train stations — throughout the borough, holding a bouquet of balloons and waving at passersby.



“Guess who ain't sleeping tonight,” Robert Privitera wrote upon seeing the creepy clown.



"He was just kinda standing there waving," Vincent Innocente told the Staten Island Advance of his encounter with the yellow-clad character.



"So I'm a little freaked out right now," Michael Leavy wrote on Instagram March 17. "I was driving home from Buffalo Wild Wings and saw this waving at me. #wtf ... is this real life?



































It appears the clown may be part of a viral marketing stunt by Fuzz on the Lens Productions, a Staten Island film company.



According to the New York Daily News, Vic Dibitetto, a comedian who has appeared in at least one of the film company's productions, posted of a video of the clown and has been "hyping up" coverage on his Facebook page.



Leavy and Dibitetto also appear together in a photo posted last month on the production company's Facebook page.









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