{"id":668372,"date":"2026-09-14T16:50:52","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T16:50:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/?p=668372"},"modified":"2026-09-14T16:50:52","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T16:50:52","slug":"cat-in-the-hat-nightmare-spreads-to-schools-as-teens-are-arrested-over-viral-trend-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/?p=668372","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Cat in the Hat\u2019 nightmare spreads to schools as teens are arrested over viral trend"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"630\" src=\"https:\/\/americanwirenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/RF-Pexels-Sad-Girl-1200x630.jpg\" class=\"attachment-facebook size-facebook wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<p>A new creepy trend has resulted in investigations and arrests as people try to figure out what in the world is going on.<\/p>\n<p>A teenage Canadian girl reports that she was chased by an unidentified person in a \u201cCat in the Hat\u201d costume last month, and this is just one of many incidents involving the creepy Dr. Seuss character.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRegardless 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,\u201d said Cpl. Devon Gerrits, as authorities continue their attempts to identify a suspect. \u201cPeople should understand that behavior intended as a prank can have serious consequences when it causes another person to reasonably fear for their safety.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While it\u2019s unclear if this is connected, there has been a larger creepy \u201cCat in the Hat\u201d trend on social media that is landing some people in hot water with the law.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Police are searching for someone dressed as \u2018The Cat in the Hat\u2019 after a teenage girl reported being chased through her neighbourhood in Canada.<\/p>\n<p>[via\/ FoxNews16] <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/IwSncxumb9\">pic.twitter.com\/IwSncxumb9<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Complex (@Complex) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Complex\/status\/2098183867173892322?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThe online trend features edited or AI-generated images and videos depicting a sinister version of the Cat in the Hat lurking outside homes, standing near schools or prowling through communities. Some anonymous accounts have added the names of students, staff members, campuses and towns, sometimes accompanied by ominous messages or threats,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/creepy-cat-hat-trend-targets-schools-costumed-figure-allegedly-chases-teen-girl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News<\/a> reported. \u201cAuthorities from California to Florida, Virginia and Texas have responded with investigations and increased patrols as they work to separate internet hoaxes from credible dangers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Authorities are urging locals not to interact with or share any posts they see. Instead, they are asked to preserve the post and report it to investigators, as any perceived threat against a school is given high priority. Multiple departments have warned that those involved in creating and spreading the images, which could provoke fearful responses from locals, could be arrested.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFour girls between 13 and 15 years old were arrested in Berwick, Louisiana, after police linked them to TikTok accounts that alarmed families and schools, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.police1.com\/social-media\/breaking-down-the-cat-in-the-hat-trend-ai-threats-police-responses-and-juvenile-arrests\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_us_article_main-content_article-body_6_11\">according to Police1.<\/a> Three were charged with terrorizing or menacing, while a fourth was charged with cyberbullying,\u201d Fox noted. \u201cA 12-year-old Florida student was accused of posting a written threat to kill tied to the trend, while a 14-year-old Colorado student was arrested after a post referenced a middle school and several homes, the outlet reported. Authorities in Alabama, Ohio and Kentucky have also announced juvenile arrests or pending charges connected to similar posts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/americanwirenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/RF-Pexels-Sad-Girl-1200x630.jpg\" title=\"\u2018Cat in the Hat\u2019 nightmare spreads to schools as teens are arrested over viral trend\" \/><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A new creepy trend has resulted in investigations and arrests as people try to figure out what in the world is going on. A teenage Canadian girl reports that she was chased by an unidentified person in a \u201cCat in the Hat\u201d costume last month, and this is just one of many incidents involving the&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/?p=668372\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">\u2018Cat in the Hat\u2019 nightmare spreads to schools as teens are arrested over viral trend<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":668354,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[20,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-668372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economic-empowerment","category-national-security","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=668372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668372\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/668354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=668372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=668372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=668372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}