Cookie Monster Arrested for Groping a Teen in Times Square

Following in the footsteps of Elmo and others, a 48-year-old man dressed in a Cookie Monster costume in Times Square was arrested on Sunday for groping a 16-year-old.

The man is identified as 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 Times Square tourist staple—18 arrests were cited in 2014. 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.