A disturbing social media trend featuring artificial intelligence depictions of a classic character is spreading across California campuses.
Law enforcement agencies are responding to posts that target specific schools and list individual students by name.
The viral videos display a life-sized feline figure lurking outside windows and stalking neighborhood streets.
In Baldwin Park, local authorities confirmed an active investigation into online messages directed at area schools.
Addressing the community about the threatening digital posts, the Baldwin Park Police Department emphasized their active law enforcement response.
“We are actively reviewing these posts and will investigate any potential threats or criminal activity,” police stated in an official warning.
“Any threat directed toward our schools, students, staff, or community will not be dismissed as a joke or prank,” officers added.
The online phenomenon draws inspiration from the mischievous character in Dr. Seuss stories and film adaptations.
However, current digital depictions turn the fictional story into sinister threats against children and academic staff.
Physical encounters related to the online movement have already been documented by international law enforcement.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police reported a figure in costume pursued a teenage girl near Shamrock Drive in West Kelowna.
The adolescent girl escaped unharmed after being chased through her neighborhood during the late evening incident.
Across the United States, authorities have initiated strict measures to halt the dangerous digital trend.
Sheriff deputies in Hanover County, Virginia, issued warnings after messages explicitly targeted Mechanicsville High School.
Police operations spanning multiple states from Georgia to Virginia have already resulted in 10 juvenile arrests.
In Kentucky, a single video threat caused Assumption High School to temporarily halt in-person operations.
School officials and police continue urging parents to monitor digital activity as investigations remain active nationwide.