An epidemic of clown sightings has been sweeping the nation over the past few weeks and has citizens on high alert.

Sightings first began in the Eastern United States and quickly moved West. People from Pennsylvania to Arizona, Idaho, (and at least 10 other states now) have reported these creepy clown sightings. Recently there has been five reports of these sightings in Topeka alone.

A vast majority of clown sightings have been recorded and posted to social media (@ClownSightings on Twitter has the most documented encounters in one place) and are getting lots of attention from the public.

Most of these videos include someone running into a clown on foot or by car, and in a lot of cases, the clown is armed with some sort of weapon, usually being a knife, according to International Business Times.

The Topeka Police Department made a statement to WIBW News Monday about a recent sighting in Topeka, “Even though this particular encounter was a prank, this frightening trend may become more popular due to the hype it is receiving on social media and horror movies. It may not be against the law to dress like a scary clown, but we want residents to contact police if they feel threatened.”

With Halloween quickly approaching, TPD suggests that parents have their children travel in pairs when Trick-or-Treating and parents should talk to their kids about this situation and to be aware of their surroundings.