Ohio authorities are on the lookout for a knife-wielding clown after a student reported being chased while walking to the bus stop.

According to WCMH-TV, a 14-year-old boy in Columbus was walking to the bus stop on his way to Columbus North International School at around 6:15 a.m., when a man dressed in all black and wearing a clown mask chased him down the street with a knife.

Local mothers told their children to “follow their gut” and pay attention to their surroundings.

“I thought it was crazy!” Tombi Williams, a mother of two, told WCMH-TV. “I did not think it was here, but it goes to show things crazy and stupid can happen everywhere.”

The clown menace seems to be spreading. The latest clown incident follows reports from South Carolina of a clown trying to lure children into the woods.

The Columbus police don’t think the clown threat is a laughing matter.

“We don’t expect it during the early morning hours when people are going to work or school, so is there a concern there, yeah,” Columbus police Sgt. Rich Weiner said. “We will have units in the area patrolling to make sure that this does not occur again.”