Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Mickey Mouse Arrested In Times Square For Harassing Child
By
Ben Yakas
Published Oct 11, 2015
Modified Oct 11, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Oct 11, 2015
Modified Oct 11, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A man wearing a Mickey Mouse costume was arrested in Times Square this past week after he allegedly harassed a child and his father for money for a photo they never took.
Police say that Esteban Lexosoric, 32, was standing on Broadway near 47th Street around 2:15 p.m. Thursday when he approached a 6-year-old boy and "demanded a picture." According to the News, the child wasn't interested in a photo and walked to his father nearby. A source tells them that Lexosoric grabbed the child, then demanded a tip anyway. He was allegedly screaming, "Five dollars for photos!"
A cop observed the exchange and arrested Lexosoric; he has been charged with aggressive solicitation. This is, of course, not the first Mickey to be arrested in Times Square, as this 2010 video attests:
This arrest comes a week after that Mayor de Blasio's Times Square task force recommended that the neighborhood's pedestrian plazas be strictly regulated with "designated activity zones." "We are clearly going to move toward this segmentation of Times Square where certain activities are allowed in some areas, others in other areas," de Blasio said in a radio interview this week. It also comes the same week Police Commissioner Bratton announced that he's shutting down the nearby Revlon Kiss Cam, which has apparently become a favorite for gropers.
Tagged
aggressive solicitation
Esteban Lexosoric
mickey mouse
Times Square
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Founder of NYC LGBTQ therapy practice charged with rape after alleged sexual assaults
Joseph LoGiudice is the second therapist at Liberation Psychotherapy to be accused of sexually abusing a patient.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 1, 2026 at 7:48 p.m. ET
US judge in NY indefinitely blocks ICE from making arrests at immigration courthouses
The judge said a Trump rule change lifting restrictions on such arrests violated administrative procedure law.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
US judge in NY indefinitely blocks ICE from making arrests at immigration courthouses
The judge said a Trump rule change lifting restrictions on such arrests violated administrative procedure law.
By
Arya Sundaram
Lawyer challenging NYC rent freeze releases Mamdani officials’ emails and text messages
By
David Brand
Push to strengthen NY sexual assault laws gathers steam after Cornell rape allegations
By
Walter Wuthmann
and
Jon Campbell
NYC mulls building temporary highway in sky over Brooklyn Bridge to fix BQE
By
Liam Quigley
and
Carol Chen
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .