The so-called “real-life Purge” is being threatened for multiple cities in Ohio, including Delaware, Columbus, and Cleveland.
The rumors are similar to the ones going around for other cities across the United States, including Miami, Detroit, and San Francisco.
Posters are spreading online showing a masked person from the recent The Purge: The Anarchy movie, but with information about certain cities on it. One such flier says that “Ohio will have a PURGE, Aug. 30. This is a heads up, so get ready NOW.”
The Purge and its recent sequel are movies that are set in a fictionalized version of the United States.
The Purge refers to a period of time, 12 hours, in which basically any crime is legalized. The only rules are that no high government official can be murdered and the other is that no weapons such as rocket launchers are allowed.
Police in Delaware County are taking the threats seriously, even though some of the threats elsewhere--such as Louisville--appear to be hoaxes.
“Delaware police said they had not seen the flier prior to 10TV sharing it with them, but said they had already been on alert that this threat could make its way to central Ohio,” reported 10TV.
The flier is being circulated on social media, including through direct messages on Facebook.
Chloe Michelle, a Delaware County teenager, said she received it in one such message.
“All of a sudden I got this random message from somebody I didn’t know and they didn’t have a profile picture either,” she said. “When I saw it, I didn’t know if it was a joke or not after hearing about other purges going on in different areas it just kind of threw me off a little bit.”
Michelle said it’s good to hear that police are on alert.
“I just think we should take it seriously because you never know what will happen with people and how things are going in the world today so it’s kind of crazy,” she said.
The police are asking anyone who receives a flier to contact them.
MORE:
The Purge 3? Movie Will Likely be Made Due to Box Office Success
