A Colorado teen was arrested Monday as educators and authorities nationwide have warned about a viral "Cat in the Hat" social media trend featuring photos or videos of the iconic Dr. Seuss character lurking on streets or outside buildings. The posts often come with ominous messages or veiled threats.
"On my way to Kentucky next, be looking out," a caption reads on one recent TikTok video depicting someone dressed as the feline character. Dozens of videos on TikTok and other platforms early Tuesday show users dressed as the tall, black-and-white cat first featured in the classic 1957 book. In these videos, users can be seen lurking outside of windows, homes or along isolated highways.
Some of the content appears to be AI-generated, and some clips have led to arrests. The viral phenomenon that has prompted responses from schools and authorities from Texas to Michigan to Colorado originated last month on Snapchat and later spread on X in a viral post with more than 10 million views, BBC reported. The trend then took off on other platforms, including TikTok, where some videos have depicted the character as a "serial killer" or someone who appears to want to cause widespread alarm.
The trend is similar to another in 2016, when "killer clown" posts took off in some sections of social media. Some of that content warned of characters aiming to terrorize towns or schools, with threats sent to Jeffco Public Schools and Adams 12 Five Star Schools, the Denver Post reported. Two students were arrested in 2016 in Greeley, Colorado, after alleging that a killer clown would carry out attacks on Halloween.
Prosecutors at the time said anyone posting similar content could face similar criminal charges, the Post reported. A teenager in Colorado was arrested Monday after allegedly jumping in on the viral trend by implying someone dressed as the "Cat in the Hat" character would appear outside a middle school and residential homes. "The posts are intended to cause alarm and fear in individuals," the Grand Junction Police Department said of the arrest in a statement.
Investigators learned of the post on Friday and increased law enforcement presence at West Middle School and Grand Junction High School "out of an abundance of caution," police said. No credible threat to students or staff was identified, but police arrested a 14-year-old student from Grand Junction High School on charges of harassment and interference with staff, faculty or students of educational institutions. The teen, who was not publicly identified, was released into the custody of his parents following Monday's arrest.
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