Police have warned locals not to engage a man dressed as the Cookie Monster who has been terrorising a seaside area.
The costumed man has been creeping out visitors to the Santa Cruz Wharf, bothering them and aggressively yelling.
One visitor said: “It's the creepy monster not the Cookie Monster."
One person who works in the area he turned up the day 'Sesame Street' creator Lloyd Morrisett died, reports KSBW.
Mark said: "I saw him on the day the 'Sesame Street' creator died. Like I told you, he was sad about that. He kept showing up and people started complaining about him."
Santa Cruz Police Department Joyce Blaschke said: “We are getting calls from people who say he is ‘creepy.’ Based on his history, we advise the public to not engage with this individual. Steer clear from him."
Police have said the man has faced criminal charges in other parts of the country but didn't provide any other details.
Although they have had several calls about the Cookie Monster, the man hasn't comitted any crimes and so can't be arrested.
One person reported he's been getting in other visitors' faces.
Michelle Roberts, who was visiting the wharf, said: “We saw him at the beginning of the wharf.
"At first glance, it just seemed like maybe it would be fun to do a selfie with him but we were away from him and then we went to the back of the wharf by the deadlines, and that's when we saw him coming out making a commotion and getting in people's faces."
The man behind the Cookie Monster mask has been revealed as Adam Sandler - no relation to the actor.
The 59-year-old has a history of causing trouble in costumes, police say.
In the mid-2010s he would dress up as Elmo in San Francisco and yell at tourists who wouldn't tip when they got a photo with him, earning himself the nickname - 'Evil Elmo'.
He was eventually arrested and banned from San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf and Embarcadero piers.
He has a history of causing trouble across the country.
LA police detective Jeana Franco said in 2016: “This guy is like a national nuisance.”
A business owner in Los Angeles said: “I would like to see him get some kind of help. I don’t think he belongs out on the street… no one wants to hear the Cookie Monster say he’s going to kill their family.”
