Metro

De Blasio vows crack down on ‘superhero’ pandhandlers in Times Square

Mayor de Blasio vowed Monday to crack down on the profusion of creepy, costumed panhandlers working Times Square in the wake of Saturday’s villainous attack on a cop by an evil “Spider-Man.”

The mayor said he was working with members of the City Council to create rules that would include requiring the masked beggars to get licenses.

“I think this has gone too far and it’s time to take some real steps to regulate this new reality. It needs to be regulated,” de Blasio said.
“Once we have regulation, we’ll be able to say: ‘Play by the rules or you won’t be working here anymore.’

DeBlasio added: “It’s not appropriate for anyone to demand a certain amount of money from a passing tourist and harass them.”

On Saturday, Junior Bishop, 25, was videotaped slugging a rookie cop who confronted him for charging a whopping $10 per picture to pose in his makeshift “Spidey” outfit.

Sunday’s front page
Bishop previously panhandled as “Cookie Monster” from “Sesame Street.”

The producers of the beloved children’s TV show said Monday that they’ve never authorized anyone to dress up like a Muppet, and were weighing their options.

“We care about our fans and the image of our brand, and, like everyone else, we care about public safety on our streets,” the nonprofit Sesame Workshop said.

“We have been talking to other concerned groups, including third party intellectual property rights holders, to determine appropriate actions that we can take.”