Police in Baldwin Park say they are investigating “concerning” social media posts related to a new trend.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to the Baldwin Park Police Department, the posts concerning their community have been deemed “concerning” because they reference not just schools in the city, but also specifically named students and staff. \u00a0<\/p>\n
“We are actively reviewing these posts and will investigate any potential threats or criminal activity. Any threat directed toward our schools, students, staff or community will not be dismissed as a joke or prank,” Baldwin Park police said on Instagram<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n Members of the community, should they see a “Cat in the Hat” trend post targeting Baldwin Park, are advised to not engage with or re-share the posts or accounts.\u00a0<\/p>\n Instead, social media users are asked to preserve the evidence by screenshotting the post and providing it to authorities. \u00a0<\/p>\n Anyone with information on a “specific threat or concerning account involving Baldwin Park schools” is asked to contact the Baldwin Park Police Department.<\/p>\n The “Cat in the Hat” trend, according to Newsweek<\/a>, has to do with “disturbing or AI-generated versions of the Dr. Seuss character\u00a0[being] \u00a0used to threaten students, schools and communities.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Per Newsweek, “what began largely as an online hoax” has spread on social media and now drawn the attention of authorities; according to the outlet, “several teenagers” have been arrested in connection with the trend.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n It’s also happening in Canada; the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation earlier this week said<\/a> that, in August, a “disturbing incident” took place in British Columbia involving “someone dressed in a Cat in the Hat costume [chasing] a teenager.”<\/p>\n The outlet noted that, while the incident “happened in real life” and prompted a Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigation, the trend itself typically involves “generative AI depictions of the character and his distinctive red-and-white striped hat standing outside schools, homes or other locations.”<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.<\/a><\/p>\n