The sight of a clown driving a souped-up Dodge Viper outside a polling location prompted worried parents to call the cops, police said. But what sounded like a scene out of the hit horror movie “It” turned out to be an at-large city council candidate trying to boost his name recognition on preliminary election day.

Decked out in traditional clown face paint, a bright red wig, green checkered suspenders and a requisite ruby-red clown nose, at-large City Council candidate Pat Payaso cast his vote at Roxbury Community College yesterday morning, according to a picture posted to Twitter along with the caption: “Great workers at the polling location at Roxbury Community College!”

And though he may not have meant to cause a stir, Hub police said they were soon notified that there was a “creepy clown” on campus.

“Apparently he was near a polling location on Cedar Street and some well-meaning people got a little nervous seeing a creepy clown hanging out on the periphery, so they called it in,” department spokesman officer Stephen McNulty told the Herald.

“It was more of a concern for the students,” McNulty added, “not realizing it was a candidate who was just there doing his thing.”

Payaso was driving around the city in a bright red Dodge Viper RT/10 with clown faces on the doors and a custom paint job that made it look like the muscle car had eye makeup and a red nose of its own. Although responding officers were unable to locate any clowns at the college, McNulty said, Payaso was later stopped on Bragdon Street by an officer who quickly realized he wasn’t a threat.

“As soon as they stopped him they realized, ‘Oh, you’re a candidate, and you’re just making the rounds and it isn’t a police matter,’ ” McNulty said.

Payaso, whose last name just happens to mean “clown” in Spanish, didn’t respond to multiple calls for comment. Payaso, a developer who legally changed his name from Kevin McCrea, is a City Hall gadfly who has run for mayor and the City Council in the past.

But he was active on Twitter yesterday, posting photos of himself and another clown driving around Roxbury in his campaign “clown car.”

One photo, featuring Payaso with giant clown gloves on, was accompanied by the caption: “Honk if you see us.” Another, showing Payaso in the driver’s seat read: “Constituents love the clown car!”

And though he posted a photo of one Roxbury resident giving him a double-thumbs up, his unorthodox strategy appeared to be mostly for laughs — and to get his name out there.

Payaso will not appear on the ballot until Nov. 7’s general election. He is facing off against challengers Domingos DaRosa, William A. King and Althea Garrison as well as incumbents Michael Flaherty, Annissa Essaibi George, Ayanna Pressley and Michelle Wu.