Cookie Monster Arrested for Sexually Molesting a Teen in Times Square
Following in the footsteps of Elmo and other child predators, a 48-year-old man dressed in a Cookie Monster costume in Times Square and was arrested on Sunday for groping a 16-year-old.
The man is identified in Ranulfo Perez from Passaic, New Jersey. According to Gothamist:
An NYPD spokesperson says the unidentified teen was walking with her tour group outside Toys ‘R’ Us around 5:30 p.m. when 48-year-old Ranulfo Perez, dressed as Cookie Monster, “pulled the victim into a hug and forcibly touched her breasts.” Perez was arrested at the scene, and charged with forcible touching in a manner injurious to a child less than 17, as well as second degree harassment.
Creepy, gross costumed characters have become somewhat of an unofficial tourist destination for the last couple of years. But, in 2014, 18 people were arrested. Previously:
A mentally ill man who dresses as Elmo has been arrested multiple times for disorderly conduct after he accosted passersby with anti-Semitic remarks. Last year a man dressed as Spiderman allegedly struck a police officer, and another man dressed as Woody from Toy Story was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman by grabbing her buttock.
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Image Credit: Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com
