Police have warned locals to avoid a man dressed as the Cookie Monster who is creeping out visitors at a seaside spot. As reported by the Mirror, the man has been bothering visitors to the Santa Cruz Wharf, aggressively yelling and hassling people for money.
One visitor said: “It's the creepy monster not the Cookie Monster." While a business owner in Los Angeles said: “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.”
The man behind the Cookie Monster mask has been revealed as Adam Sandler - no relation to the Hollywood actor. And the 59-year-old has a history of causing trouble in costumes, say police.
Santa Cruz Police Department's 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 committed any crimes and so can't be arrested.
Michelle Roberts, who was visiting the wharf, said: “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."
One person who works in the area said 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."
In the mid-2010s, Mr Sandler would reportedly 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.
LA police detective Jeana Franco said in 2016: “This guy is like a national nuisance.”
