A Pennsylvania man who used his shotgun to drunkenly shoot at non-existent clowns in his second-floor apartment was sentenced to prison this week.

Nathan A. Matthias, 35, will spend 22 months to five years behind bars for a December 2016 incident that occurred in his Reading apartment. At the time, Matthias told responding officers that he was shooting at two clowns that were in his home, according to The Reading Eagle.

Police said Matthias’ eyes were bloodshot and they located a bottle of vodka in his pocket. Once outside, Matthias also claimed he saw clowns on his neighbor’s roof.

“At first, they were curled up in a ball, but then they started to run around, so I tried to shoot them,” Matthias told officers, according to the court paperwork acquired by WFMZ.

Police said Matthias claimed he only had “a sip” of alcohol despite reeking of alcohol. According to his lawyer, police who responded to the scene realized Matthias was suffering from “some type of hallucinatory event” and had him committed.

However, prosecutors argued that his actions put his first-floor neighbor in immediate danger. Reports indicated that the neighbor wasn’t harmed.

The Reading Eagle reported that Matthias pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm in an occupied structure and to drunken driving, the latter related to a March 2017 incident. He was sentenced to 90 days to one year for the DUI charge, which will run concurrently with the firearm sentence.

A judge also ordered the Pennsylvania man to undergo drug and alcohol treatment.

[Featured image: Nathan A. Matthias/handout]