New York Post reports “He’s tall, blue, fuzzy and he (presumably) likes to stuff his face with circular baked snacks, but this is one incarnation of Sesame Street’s iconic cookie-obsessed character that you are probably best steering well clear of.
According to police, the life-sized Muppet has been spotted around Santa Cruz and is known to approach tourists and bombard them with angry, conspiracy-laden rants.
The man behind the mask is 59-year-old Adam Sandler (no, not that Adam Sandler), who was previously arrested back in 2012 for ranting in Times Square while dressed as Elmo.
At the time, his disorderly conduct saw him branded “Evil Elmo” by the local press.
Now he’s back as the Cookie Monster and cops are keeping a close eye on him.
“Steer clear [of] him,” said Santa Cruz police spokesperson Joyce Blaschke.
“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.”