A series of unsettling Cat in the Hat sightings reported across the globe has taken a troubling new turn, after police in Canada said a costumed person allegedly chased a teenage girl through a residential area.

The West Kelowna Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are searching for the unidentified individual, who is accused of pursuing the teen in an Okanagan neighborhood late last month.

A photo released in connection with the case shows a figure standing on a dimly lit street while dressed head to toe as the Cat in the Hat, complete with the character’s signature red-and-white striped top hat and white gloves.

The alleged incident happened at about 9pm on August 24 near the 2000 block of Shamrock Drive, where the girl, who has not been publicly identified, was walking, according to Global News.

Investigators said the teenager reported being abruptly chased by someone dressed in a costume resembling the famous Dr. Seuss character, who debuted in the 1957 children’s book and was later played by Mike Myers in the 2003 live-action film.

The teen escaped unharmed and made it home safely, but police warned about the dangers of what they called a ‘concerning prank.’

‘Regardless 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,’ Corporal Devon Gerrits said in a statement.

Gerrits said wearing a costume is perfectly legal, but following someone in a way that leaves them fearing for their safety could cross the line into criminal harassment. 

‘People should understand that behavior intended as a prank can have serious consequences when it causes another person to reasonably fear for their safety,’ he added.

Authorities are asking anyone with dashcam or security footage from that night to contact the West Kelowna RCMP.

The department also urged parents to tell children who believe they are being followed to head to a safe, populated location, contact a trusted adult and call 911 if they are in immediate danger. 

The recent incident comes amid a string of Cat in the Hat encounters reported at schools across the UK, Ireland and the US, sparking fear among children, parents and staff. 

The ominous appearances have since been dubbed a viral trend, with people posting photos of life sized versions of the Dr Seuss character standing perfectly still as they loom outside windows.

In Kentucky, administrators were forced to close school late last month after AI generated images of the character targeted both schools and individuals, according to the Courier Journal.

‘We have no information that these messages represent a credible threat to student safety,’ a letter from Eric Davis, the Director of Student Services for Oldham County Schools, said.

‘This trend has appeared in numerous districts nationwide over the past two months,’ he added, according to the outlet.

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‘In nearly every documented case, law enforcement has determined the content to be fabricated, using anonymous accounts and AI-generated images to provoke fear rather than carry out any actual act of violence.’ 

In Florida, a 15-year-old was charged with multiple felonies after police linked him to threats against a high school posted on TikTok.

Over the past week, several police departments and school districts across Texas have also issued warnings about the ‘trend,’ according to Fox 26 Houston News.

Authorities said children are manufacturing fake Cat in the Hat sightings by editing, recreating and reposting videos to make it appear the character has been spotted near their schools or neighborhoods. 

More than 10 juveniles have been arrested nationwide over similar posts, officials revealed.

Last month, youngsters in the UK and Ireland became convinced someone was out to cause them harm, echoing the killer clown craze of 2016, when false rumors of organized violence swept across the internet. 

A clip of someone dressed in the original Cat in the Hat costume, captioned ‘Help, what do I do?,’ racked up 15 million views in just three weeks. 

Other posts claimed the ‘killer’ cat was coming for specific areas, including one chilling warning that read: ‘Kent I’m coming. Lock your doors.’ 

In some cases, users posted footage apparently captured by Ring doorbells, showing the creepy figure marching toward unsuspecting homes.

Skye, 16, told the BBC: ‘I was having a sleepover but everyone started watching Cat in the Hat videos. It was 3am. I wanted to go home.  

‘When I started walking down my friends’ driveway, I got totally freaked out that the Cat in the Hat was going to jump out. I had to call my mum to pick me up,’ she added.

But as with the incidents across the US, police determined after investigating that the videos were AI generated and reassured the public there was no real threat.

The juror whose lone dissent left Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial unresolved offered no “single piece of evidence” to back up his belief that she was guilty of killing her three young children, another member of the panel said.

“There wasn’t a single piece of evidence or witness testimony that he used to prove why he was thinking the way he was,” juror Nick Dargie told ABC News during an interview Wednesday.

Dargie, 25, said the jury eventually submitted a note to Judge William Sullivan on Friday saying they were deadlocked after 38 hours of deliberations, explaining that the holdout juror could not point to any evidence supporting his opposing view.

The message led Sullivan to declare a mistrial, bringing the proceedings to an abrupt end after seven days of jury deliberations and five weeks of testimony in the closely watched Lindsay Clancy trial.

“Otherwise, like there’s nothing wrong with somebody having a completely opposite opinion … that would be a hung jury. That, like that, is our justice system,” Dargie added.

Dargie, who was one of only three male jurors on the 12-person panel, said he came into the trial blind as he was serving in the military when Clancy strangled her three children — Dawson, 3, Cora, 5, and Callan, 8 months — with exercise bands at their Duxbury, Mass. home on Jan. 24, 2023. 

Throughout the grueling week-long deliberations, he said he asked the holdout juror to provide evidence that supported his stubborn position — but claimed he never did. 

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“There was several times I would ask him to show us evidence or, you know, describe a witness testimony that helped to prove what he was saying, and … he couldn’t,” Dargie, the fifth juror to speak out, told the outlet. 

A total of three notes were sent to the judge throughout the deliberations detailing the panel’s deadlocked 11-1 position.

From the start of deliberations, a majority of the panel — which was composed of nine women and three men — attempted to convince the holdout juror to change his vote, according to juror No. 5 who spoke to CBS News on the condition of anonymity. 

The stand-alone juror, who has been called “arrogant” by fellow panelists, “admitted he had reasonable doubt” but refused to say Clancy was not guilty by reason of insanity, foreperson Roni Carlson told NBC10 Boston Tuesday.

“The stand-alone juror was not the only one that was unwilling to see things from the other side. So, I’m going to kind of defend that individual in a sense,” juror No. 5 said. 

“There were some big personalities in that room. But at the end of the day, I feel like it just came down to an inability to kind of move past your convictions,” the anonymous panelist added.

The jury ultimately yielded an 11-1 split in favor of finding Clancy not guilty by reason of insanity — siding with the defense’s argument that the mom was suffering from postpartum psychosis and could not be held criminally responsible for the killings.

Clancy, 36, remains in state-run psychiatric facility, Tewksbury Hospital. Her next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29.

Barry Melrose, the former hockey player and coach who guided the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final before becoming one of the sport’s most recognizable television voices, has died at 70.

ESPN confirmed Melrose’s death on Wednesday, saying the news was shared with the network by his wife.

“From the flowing locks of his distinctive mullet to the flared lapels of his trademark long suit coats, Barry Melrose cut an unmistakable figure whenever you were fortunate enough to run into him at a rink or catch him on your television screen,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “You were even more fortunate if you engaged him in conversation or listened to his analysis because he never failed to boost your love of the game of hockey.”

Melrose left his role as an ESPN hockey analyst in 2023 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. At the time, Wayne Gretzky described him as “bigger than any team.”

Known for an approachable, everyman style on air, Melrose blended sharp hockey analysis with humor and personality. His goatee, slicked-back hair and unmistakable presence made him a familiar figure to generations of NHL fans.

“For decades, Barry Melrose was one of the most distinctive and trusted voices in hockey,” ESPN said in a statement. “His knowledge of the game was deep, his candor was refreshing and his passion was unmistakable.”

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From rural Kelvington, Saskatchewan, Melrose broke into pro hockey with the Cincinnati Stingers of the now-defunct World Hockey Association in 1976. He played three seasons in Cincinnati — the last teaming with a young Mark Messier — and, following the WHA’s demise, made the transition to the NHL with Winnipeg in 1979.

Melrose went on to play for Toronto and Detroit, where he closed his career following the 1985-86 season.

He finished with 10 goals and 33 points and 728 penalty minutes in 300 career NHL regular-season games, and he skated in seven more in the playoffs. His WHA totals were five goals and 32 points and 343 penalty minutes in 178 games with Cincinnati.

Melrose turned to coaching and led the Adirondack Red Wings to win the American Hockey League Calder Cup championship in 1992.

The following year, Melrose was hired by the Kings, where he brought a sense of colorful flare and instant success to Los Angeles. In his rookie season, he coached a Kings team that featured Gretzky to make a memorable playoff run. They reached the final before losing to Montreal in five games.

Melrose finished with a record of 79-101 and 29 ties over two-plus seasons in L.A. before being fired midway through the 1994-95 season.

He was hired by ESPN in 1996 and left broadcasting for what became a brief stint coaching the Tampa Bay Lightning in Steven Stamkos’ rookie season in 2008-09. Melrose was fired 16 games into the season following a 5-7-4 start and returned to broadcasting.

Melrose also was known for his long-ball hitting prowess in fast-pitch softball, joining fellow Kelvington-area NHL players Wendel Clark, Joey Kocur, Kelly Chase and Kevin Kaminski and others in the offseason in Saskatchewan to form what some call “the toughest team there ever was.”