STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2013 Staten Island\u2019s favorite clown is back \u2014 at least in conversation.<\/p>\n
During an appearance on \u201cThe Joe Rogan Experience<\/a>\u201d podcast last week, \u201cImpractical Jokers\u201d star Sal Vulcano<\/a> reminded the host \u2014 and the internet \u2014 about one of the borough\u2019s strangest viral moments: the Staten Island Clown<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you remember when clowns for a minute were like in the news everywhere because it was a trend that clowns were terrorizing towns?\u201d Vulcano asked. \u201cWhere I\u2019m from in Staten Island, we had the Staten Island Clown.\u201d<\/p>\n Rogan initially seemed baffled as Vulcano described the figure that quietly haunted the borough in 2014: a lone clown spotted near train stations and streets before slipping back into the dark. <\/p>\n \u201cIt almost felt like our version of \u201cSummer of Sam\u201d or something like that,\u201d Vulcano joked. \u201cPeople were like, \u2018If you\u2019re going out tonight, look out for the clowns.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Locals who lived through it remember the frenzy. Photos of the yellow-suited, red-nosed, yellow-teethed figure<\/a> standing on Staten Island corners blew up across social media, and the story spread to national outlets. Less than a week after the first reports, it was discovered that the \u201cStaten Island Clown\u201d was actually a promotional stunt by local film company Fuzz on the Lens Productions<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a small island and we\u2019ve been trying to get as many people associated with Fuzz on the Lens as possible,\u201d co-founder Michael Leavy previously told the Advance\/<\/a>SILive.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fuzz on the Lens has since gone on to produce \u201cTerrifier 2\u2033 and \u201cTerrifier 3,\u201d which feature the demonic serial killer Art the Clown, among many other films. The Staten Island-born franchise<\/a> even spawned its own haunted house at both Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort this fall, marking what is possibly the goriest addition in the event\u2019s history<\/a>.<\/p>\n After the episode aired, Fuzz on the Lens co-founder Jason Leavy revisited the moment on Instagram, sharing the clip along with the caption: \u201cWay back when, when we fooled the world! This is wild thanks @joeroganexperience<\/a>. The #StatenIslandClown<\/a> lives on.\u201d<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n