The trend of clown sightings along the country's roadsides took a fatal turn in Newark, New Jersey earlier this week when a man in a clown costume was found with a gunshot wound to the head.

Police responded to report of the shooting on Tuesday night. They arrived to find 31-year-old Carlos Mendoza lying wounded near the Parkway North entrance ramp of Oraton Parkway and S. Munn Ave., by Vailsburg Park. It is reported that at around 10:30 p.m. a silver SUV pulled up, and a man alleged to be African-American ambushed Mendoza, firing several shots before fleeing northbound on the Garden State Parkway. Mendoza was taken to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Reports of citizens being spooked by clowns over the past month caused a growing angst, with arrests reportedly made and schools having sent home letters in the weeks leading up to Halloween. While it is difficult to ascertain a specific motive behind those participating in the fad, it is believed to be generated by social media.

Source: empireherald.com| Photo cred: Youtube