A man dressed in a terrifying clown costume has been spotted around Staten Island and is suspected to be part of a publicity stunt to promote a small horror film production company, Fuzz on the Lens.

The clown, who is made to look like Pennywise from the Stephen King horror story It, was rumored to be walking the streets of Staten Island, posing in unexpected places and staying absolutely silent. Three men have posted photographs of the clown in question, and it was discovered that all three have ties to the production company, Fuzz on the Lens.

Michael Levy was the first person to post photographic evidence of the Staten Island clown to the Internet. The photo, posted two weeks ago, is, indeed, terrifying, and shows the clown coming forward out of the shadows.

“OK so I’m a little freaked out right now. I was driving home from Buffalo Wild Wings and saw this waving at me. #wtf…is this real life?” Levy wrote in the caption accompanying the photo.

Robert Privitera was next, sharing a photo of the clown on Instagram a week later.

“I’m driving home from the gym and this is what I see! People are f—king crazy yo! Guess who ain’t sleeping tonight,” Privitera wrote along with the image.

On March 23, Vincent Innocente posted a picture to Instagram of the clown standing in front of a road sign at night, with the caption, “I just got freaked out coming home from the studio in Tottenville.”

The photos quickly went viral, but a report by the New York Post claims that the clown is not just a random person looking to terrify the people of Staten Island, but a publicity stunt. Levy, Privitera and Innocente all work for Fuzz on the Lens, a production company based in Staten Island.

Fuzz on the Lens has denied any involvement, but statements made on the company’s official Twitter account suggest they are, indeed, responsible.

Levy walked a similar line during an interview, saying, “All I can say is that if people want to believe it’s me or my production company they can feel free to do so, I won’t complain, confirm, or deny… But I could tell you it’s interesting getting messages from some other clown supporters Vin Innocente and the comedian Vic Dibitetto asking me if we [Fuzz on the Lens] planned it to specifically goof on them or not."

Dibitetot, the comedian mentioned by Levy, has acted in a film made by Levy’s production company and said he had no idea whether or not the clown was a publicity stunt.

“Who the hell knows. Nothing surprises me anymore,” Dibitetto told reporters.

Whether or not the clown is a publicity stunt or not remains to be seen. Rumors are that others not related to Fuzz on the Lens have spotted the clown at a train station, but there is no way to confirm the validity of these claims.

– Olivia Truffaut-Wong

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