Holy Robbery Batman! Times Square Caped Crusader Steals $50 From Tourist
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A man dressed in a Batman costume in Times Square was anything but a hero to a tourist Wednesday night, according to police.
The NYPD said 42-year-old Jose Escalona-Martinez yanked $50 from a tourist's hand and took off, 1010 WINS reported. Escalona-Martinez, dressed as the Caped Crusader, had posed for a picture with the victim moments before, police said.
He's charged with grand larceny and possession of stolen property, police said.
A group called A Better Times Square tweeted a photo of the arrest, and called on Mayor Bill de Blasio to enact reforms in Times Square, which has seen its fair share of controversy over recent years.
In June, two women dressed as Minnie Mouse and Hello Kitty were arrested on assault charges after the two allegedly got into a fight over how to split tips they had made.
Other incidents included a Spider-Man allegedly punching a cop, an Elmo being arrested for allegedly harassing people and yelling anti-Semitic slurs and a "Toy Story" Woody allegedly groping women.
The numerous reports of misbehaving costumed characters prompted calls for regulation.
In response, the de Blasio administration put together the Times Square Task Force with the aim of reducing what it called "nuisance quality of life issues."
And though the costumed characters and painted topless women were not banned from the pedestrian plaza, the NYPD did deploy 100 additional officers to the area in response to the complaints.
