From the ’80s to the early ’90s, child abductors dressed up as clowns terrorized a number of towns in the US.

One notable incident happened in May 1981, when police officers from Brookline, Massachusetts released a bulletin regarding a mysterious van lurking near the local elementary school.

A clown or group of clowns hiding inside the vehicle allegedly used candies to lure young victims towards the van. The most recent sighting took place in Chicago, Illinois where a community alert was subsequently issued in late 2008.

The similarities were striking: An unidentified man was spotted wearing clown makeup and offering balloons to lure children into his white van.

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