Google Earth is a hotbed of intrigue, with millions of miles to explore.
Of course, most of us don’t spend our time trawling Street View images, but one TikTok account is dedicated to just that.
‘Hidden on Google Earth’ hones in on weird and wonderful snapshots of life across the globe – revealing everything from apparent Marvel movie sets to jaw-dropping sandstorms.
But one of the account’s latest offerings has left people feeling decidedly creeped out, with viewers admitting it gives them “chills”.
Zooming in on a bridge in New York State, the TikToker revealed a spooky white face with hollow black eyes lurking among the shadows.
He captioned the clip “Pennywise?” in reference to Stephen King’s iconic horror novel ‘It’, which really got viewers’ juices flowing.
The clip has racked up more than 1.1 million views and 72,000 likes, with commentators voicing their terror at the sinister specter.
“OMG what is that?! I’m scared,” one wrote.
“I’m never going to use a bridge again,” said another.
Others noted that the location was in the city of Ithaca, close to Cornell university and another college, and so was “probably just a student park”.
“Looks like graffiti art to me,” one remarked.
You can see the phantom for yourself right here.
It’s not the first time Google Earth has stumped TikTokers with unsettling apparitions.
In June, user Jason Clines showed how he had scrolled over to Nevada on the digital map only to find some sinister-looking figures cloaked in white.
Documenting his discovery, Cline zoomed in on the abandoned desert town of Rhyolite, warning viewers: “What you are about to see, I cannot explain and I do not understand, I am literally thinking that I don’t supposed to see this.”
He then clicked on the Street View function to reveal a deserted house, with a man dressed all in white and “looking really creepy” clutching a bicycle nearby.
“But that’s not just it,” Cline continued. “If you flip it around there’s a whole group of them in a circle doing some sort of weird ceremony or something.”
The mystery of the bizarre cult-like cohort was soon solved, however, as fellow TikTokers flooded to explain the apparent apparitions.
“Omg I went there! It’s a ghost town in Death Valley!!!” one wrote. “That shack is a cute museum – the guy who runs it is the sweetest.”
It transpires that the ghoulish group is nothing more than a collection of statues created by Belgian artist Albert Szukalski.
They form part of an outdoor exhibition, named Goldwell Open Air Museum, which can be found just off the road leading to the famous Californian desert.
Our question is, how do people find these things on Google Earth in the first place?