‘Joker’ Copycat Spotted Outside Campus

An individual dressed in what appears to be a Joker costume was seen approaching cars at a traffic light outside the Marist campus on Thursday, Oct. 10.

A video recording the incident, which was uploaded to the Marist Barstool Instagram page, depicts a man with black clothes and bright green hair carrying an hourglass as he ran across Route 9 and danced on a corner opposite the South Entrance of campus.

The post received a little more than 7,500 views on Instagram, but has since been removed.

According to Director of Safety and Security John Blaisdell, security has made contact with the individual after viewing the video and has informed him that, “he is not only unwelcome on campus, but will be arrested should he enter campus.”

“We have nothing to substantiate he is dangerous,” said Blaisdell, “but certainly his behavior is concerning, and we are well aware of his presence in the area.”

The video was originally taken by Dylan Kusmuk, a commuter student who was driving home following her 5 p.m. class at the time.

Kusmuk explained that, while she was stopped at the traffic light, she noticed the man making faces at and looking into the car window of a Volkswagen. She said she initially thought the man knew the people inside the car and that it was all a joke, but then he began to repeat his actions with other cars.

“I was freaked out,” she said. “I fear for my friends who are residents on campus because it’s so easy for that man to walk into our campus. And with Halloween around the corner, most people wouldn’t think twice about him, thinking it’s just a costume.”

The individual’s sighting follows the release of the new film Joker, a movie that has prompted criticism and security concerns alike along with its critical acclaim.

"With the new Joker movie being out, there’s no doubt in my mind that there’s going to be copycats of it,” said Kusmuk. “That’s what concerns me, because this insane man could just blend in with the crowd. Hopefully, people who dress up like the Joker don’t take it as far as this man is.”