A person donning a cartoonish Pink Panther-like costume has sparked panic in Fredericksburg after he was accused of “chasing” and hunting down local Virginia school kids in broad daylight. Police are on the lookout for the person, seen in a video doing the rounds on social media, who reportedly followed children in Fredericksburg, Virginia, last week. The person nearly snatched up a little girl, per the New York Post.
The Fredericksburg Police Department shared an update in a Facebook post, writing, “On Thursday, May 14, 2026, at approximately 4:30 p.m., the Fredericksburg E-911 Center received a report of suspicious activity in the Lafayette Boulevard corridor. The suspect (pictured) is described as wearing a pink costume and was reported to have been following children.
Read More | Fredericksburg police searching for man in creepy Pink Panther-like costume hunting down school kids; eerie video viral
The alleged predator reportedly trailed a group of terrified children fresh off the school bus in Fredericksburg. A shocking video shows him prowling along the grassy roadside near the Lafayette Boulevard corridor.
Incident sparks panic
One X host says the figure “crossed the street and started CHASING all four kids and GRABBED the smallest girl.”
Concerned Netizens weighed in on the comment section, with one user writing, “Woah! Why didn’t people stop and help these children? I always worry about the deaf, nonverbal and autistic children that are vulnerable.” “There are lots and lots of creepy people out there. What is he going to do with kids?” wrote one user, while another said, “What level of hell have we just descended into.”
“I imagine that many child trafficking routes etc have been shut down by the current administration so they are resorting to desperate ploys.” wrote a user, while another said, “Hard to fathom this perv hasn’t been arrested yet.” One wrote, “This is what happens when you have a Governor who embraces lawlessness and an AG that has no moral compass.”
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A local resident shared images of the man in the pink costume on Facebook, saying he “stared down my son and one of the older neighbors from across the road.” The children said that there was a hole in the costume near the person’s eye, and the individual looked like a man, the resident added.
“Had facial hair and he appeared to have a tan complexion,” the post said.
Anyone who has seen or interacted with the suspect is urged to contact the Fredericksburg Police Department at 540-373-3122. To make an anonymous tip, one can send a text to “847-411” and text “FPDtip” followed by their tip.
