A person dressed as the Cat in the Hat allegedly chased a teenage girl through a neighborhood in West Kelowna, British Columbia, part of a wider wave of alarm tied to a creepy online trend built around the children’s book character that has led to school lockdown precautions, police investigations and juvenile arrests across the United States.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the girl was walking near the 2000 block of Shamrock Drive at about 9 p.m. on Aug. 24 when someone in a costume resembling the Dr. Seuss character began chasing her. She got away and made it home safely. Police have not identified the person involved.
“Regardless of whether the individual intended the behavior as a joke, following a young person and causing them to fear for their safety is extremely concerning,” Cpl. Devon Gerrits said. “People should understand that behavior intended as a prank can have serious consequences when it causes another person to reasonably fear for their safety.”
Investigators noted that wearing a costume is not itself illegal, but chasing someone in a way that produces reasonable fear could amount to criminal harassment, and other charges such as assault, threats or intimidation could apply depending on the circumstances. The West Kelowna RCMP is asking anyone with doorbell, security or dashcam footage from that time and location to come forward. Officers advised anyone who feels they are being pursued to head toward a populated area, contact a trusted adult, and call 911 if in immediate danger.
Police have not said whether the West Kelowna incident is connected to a separate social media trend spreading through the U.S., in which edited or AI-generated images and videos show a menacing version of the Cat in the Hat lurking near schools, homes and neighborhoods. Anonymous accounts have attached names of real students, staff and campuses to the posts, sometimes with threatening language.
Schools on Alert Across Several States
In California, the Baldwin Park Police Department said it is reviewing “concerning social media posts” naming local schools, students and staff, warning that “any threat directed toward our schools, students, staff, or community will not be dismissed as a joke or prank.” Residents were told not to share or interact with the accounts and instead to preserve screenshots, usernames and timestamps before reporting them.
In Virginia, the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation after an account referenced Mechanicsville High School, and deputies increased their presence on campus while trying to trace the account. The office likewise cautioned residents against reposting the material, saying it could spread fear and hinder the investigation.
Florida’s St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said it is investigating posts involving county schools but has not found a credible threat, though deputies stepped up patrols at campuses as a precaution.
In Texas, several agencies issued warnings. The Frio County Sheriff’s Office said some accounts have paired threatening images with lists of students, schools or communities, but determined posts about the area were not credible threats; patrols near schools were nonetheless increased. “Participating in, re-creating, or spreading these threatening posts is not a harmless joke,” the office said, noting that copycat posts could lead to charges of cyberbullying, harassment or terroristic threats.
Laredo police issued a similar caution, saying “a few seconds on social media can result in a police investigation, school disciplinary action, and potentially serious criminal consequences,” even if the poster claims it was a prank. In Premont, police met with school district officials after learning of the trend, warning that fake accounts, AI-generated content and supposed pranks involving threats could bring charges such as making a terroristic threat or filing a false report under Texas law.
Arrests Reported in Multiple States
Authorities in several states have already traced threatening posts to juveniles. Four girls between 13 and 15 were arrested in Berwick, Louisiana, after police linked them to TikTok accounts that had alarmed families and schools, according to Police1. Three were charged with terrorizing or menacing, and a fourth with cyberbullying.
A 12-year-old student in Florida was accused of posting a written threat to kill tied to the trend, and a 14-year-old student in Colorado was arrested after a post referenced a middle school and several homes, Police1 reported. Authorities in Alabama, Ohio and Kentucky have also announced juvenile arrests or pending charges linked to similar posts.
Police departments across the affected areas have repeatedly urged parents and students not to share the content, even when trying to warn others, and instead to capture evidence — including account names, screenshots and timestamps — and send it directly to school officials or law enforcement.
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