Los Angeles, Mar 3 (IANS): According to the sheriff's office and representatives from Visit Sonoma, whose webcams captured footage of the sighting, the individual was there for at least one hour, standing eerily still in the rain before slowly walking toward a lamppost and prowling through a crosswalk.

"The phone lines blew up, and there were tons and tons of calls from concerned citizens," Robert Dillion, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office, told SFGATE on Thursday.

"It took a number of resources to field all of the phone calls that came in," reports aceshowbiz.com.

Dillion said that deputies visited the scene and made contact with the individual, who told them that they had been hired by Paramount Pictures to promote the upcoming slasher film. The individual, whose identity was not revealed to the public, left shortly after and was not charged with any crimes.

"Thank you for everyone's concern, it's been addressed," police said, quelling any fears. Dillion said his multiple attempts to reach out to Paramount have not received a response yet.

Sonoma is the stand-in for the franchise's fictional town of Woodsboro, where most of the films in the "Scream" franchise are set. An individual dressing as Ghostface has also been spotted in New Orleans and St. Louis.

Meanwhile, Ghostface's official Twitter account has joined in the fun by tweeting: "I was just minding my business" and "I'm watching you" in response to creepy webcams photos that have been capturing his sightings around the country.

Paramount previously pulled a similar stunt with 'Smile'. The studio hired actors to sit behind home plate while flashing unsettling grins at televised MLB games.

'Scream VI' will hit theatres across the nation on March 10.