Jury convicts man who wore clown mask, brandished chain saw in upstate New York neighbourhood

This image taken from body camera footage shows a chain saw and clown mask, May 1, 2025, in Cohoes, N.Y. (Cohoes Police Department, NY via AP)

ALBANY, N.Y. — A man who wore a clown mask and brandished a chain saw during a frightful episode in an upstate New York neighbourhood was convicted Wednesday of two felony charges.

A jury in Albany County Court found the 35-year-old man guilty of first-degree menacing and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the May 1 incident in Cohoes. Sentencing was set for Feb. 6, when he faces two to seven years in prison.

Lee Kindlon, the county’s district attorney, said the man was seen on surveillance video footage walking in the neighbourhood wearing the clown mask and a football jersey and carrying a red chain saw in the mid-afternoon.

A local resident confronted the masked man, who pulled a plastic sheath off the chain saw and raised it in a threatening manner, Kindlon said. During a fight, the resident subdued the man until police arrived, the prosecutor said. Officers also found metal knuckles on the man, he said.

The jury returned guilty verdicts after a two-day trial and two hours of deliberation, Kindlon said. The defendant did not testify, and the defense did not call any witnesses.

The man and his public defender did not immediately return text and phone messages left at listings for them Wednesday evening.

Prosecutors called four witnesses to the stand and showed the video clip of the man.

The Associated Press