NJ Man Dressed As Elmo Grabbed 14-Year-Old Girl: Cops

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Elmo impersonator is facing charges for groping a teen tourist while posing for a photo with the girl's family, police said.

Innocente Andrade-Pacheco, 54, of Passaic was charged with forcible touching after grabbing a 14-year-old girl's buttocks in Times Square, police said.

The girl's family approached Andrade-Pacheco for a photo, and while posing, the man moved his hand down the girl's back, police said.

Andrade-Pacheco then squeezed the girl's buttocks, police said.

The Elmo impersonator was arrested Sunday shortly before 7 p.m. near Broadway and West 46th Street, police said.

He was released on his own recognizance following his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court on Sunday.

New York City regulated Times Square impersonators in 2016 by establishing designated "activity zones" where costumed characters and other entertainers must confine themselves.

The decision to regulate the activity was made after complaints of negative interactions between tourists and the entertainers.

With reporting by Brendan Krisel, Patch Staff