A man dressed as the Cookie Monster from Sesame Street is terrorizing parents by forcing their children to take pictures with him on a California boardwalk. Police have identified the man in his favorite blue suit who strolled along Santa Cruz Beach and harassed visitors as Adam Sandler (pictured right), 59, who is no relation to the actor.

This isn’t the first time Sandler has used a furry monster disguise to scare people. Ten years ago, when he was called Dan Sandler, he was stalking tourists dressed as yet another Sesame Street character. In 2013, Sandler dressed up as “Evil Elmo” and harassed tourists in San Francisco, leading to his arrest and ban from the famous marina. “It’s a scary monster, not a cookie monster,” the Santa Cruz resident told KSBW. – We saw him at the beginning of the pier. At first glance it looked like it would be fun to take a selfie with him, but we were away from him and then we went behind the pier… and then we saw him come out and start making noise and getting in people’s faces.’

Sandler has not committed any crimes in Santa Cruz, but officers warned people to stay away from the Cookie Monster impersonator because of his extensive criminal history. “Allowing a child to take a photo with this character is the parent’s prerogative and risk,” SCPD wrote in a statement. The police department added that they had received several calls and messages from residents about his “terrible” presence and comments. Several adults stopped and took pictures with Sandler, while others kept their distance. One concerned resident reported on Facebook that Sandler was yelling profanities at her family. “He was inappropriately yelling at us about a conspiracy theory about Singapore,” wrote one woman. “I was with my 4-year-old. He asked us if we wanted to take a picture with him and we said NO,” another woman added.

Resident Nick Padron (pictured left) didn’t seem to mind the blue furry monster and went in to chat with him. “We’ve kept our distance, but I can’t see someone with a problem and not talk to them about Jesus for even a second,” Padron wrote on Facebook. “So I started a quick conversation saying that God is good. Taking a picture with him gave him a couple of bucks. Let him know. I will pray for him.”

Sandler made headlines in 2012 after an amateur video surfaced of him dressed as Elmo in New York and urging listeners to read The International Jew, a pamphlet of auto magnate Henry Ford’s racist musings in the 1920s. Sandler was arrested in Time Square before fleeing to California. He was then dubbed Wicked Elmo and arrested for conspiring to extort $2 million from the Boy Scouts.

Speaking to CBS 5 in Suits at the time, Sandler admitted he was deported from Cambodia in 1999 for driving [adult entertainment] site called “Welcome to [Sexual Assault] The camp.” “I made a website 12 years ago in Cambodia, over 18 (year-old) chicks, so it’s not even a crime,” he told the channel.

Sandler was sentenced to only eight months for attempted grand larceny and stalking. In recent weeks, Sandler appeared to be chasing and yelling at people on a pier off the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

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