NYC’s ‘evil Elmo’ now tormenting Calif. as Cookie Monster
“C” is for creepy.
A notorious street performer once known for flying into an anti-Semitic rant while dressed as Elmo in Times Square is terrorizing Santa Cruz tourists in a Cookie Monster costume, cops said.
Adam Sandler, 59, pulled the Sesame Street switcheroo before hustling for tips at the city’s scenic wharf — where he has been yelling obscenities and taunting visitors, police told the SF Gate.
Cops have warned folks to “not engage” with the costumed creep after receiving reports that he’s been frightening people by shouting at them and spouting angry conspiracy theories.
Sandler became a much-buzzed-about Big Apple villain in September 2012, when he was arrested for going on a wild, Jew-hating rant at the Crossroads of the World. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was dubbed “Evil Elmo.”
He was sentenced to a year behind bars in 2013 for the equally bonkers crime of trying to extort $2 from the Girl Scouts in Manhattan — before eventually heading out West and changing his Muppet identity, according to the outlet.
Cali cops are warning people to avoid the creepy Cookie Monster at all costs.
“Steer clear from him,” Santa Cruz police spokesperson Joyce Blaschke told KRON4.
“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,” she said, adding he had not been arrested for a crime linked to the alleged harassment.
The street performer — who sometimes goes by Dan Sandler — was busted in 2014 in San Francisco, where he sometimes worked in costume at Fisherman’s Wharf.
In that case, he threatened an SF food vendor, reportedly screaming, “I’m going to rip your throat out” at her.
“He goes on rants and raves and accuses people of conspiracy theories,” Troy Campbell, then-executive director of the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District, said at the time. “He frightens visitors and locals. Whatever business he’s in front of has a horrible day.”