Cropsey: a scary urban legend of New York (10 photos)

Urban legends are a modern variation of scary stories and campfire tales, adapted to urban life. These creepy stories, told with the intent to frighten, thrill, and disturb, are almost always creepy or threatening.





This is felt in the presentation and form itself. They almost always contain some kind of danger that resonates with the listener because it evokes a real, underlying fear.

Fortunately, these stories are also almost universally untrue. But sometimes there is a grain of truth hidden at the bottom. The terrible truth. Like the story of the Cropseys, the Staten Island Child Killers.

The Legend of Cropsy



Staten Island

Cropsey was a killer rumored to terrorize Staten Island in the 1970s. The legend tells of a man who kidnapped small children after losing his own son. This man was mentally unstable. Grief and hopelessness forced him to look for a replacement in other people's children.

Staten Island was very different from the rest of New York. Large areas of undeveloped forested areas abutted the streets and houses of residents, and ruins were found in the forests. It was easy to get lost in them. This was Cropsey's hunting ground.

When describing Cropsey's figure, New Yorkers focus on physiology. For example, Cropsy, like a Disney movie villain, is said to have a hook for his hand.



Some say Cropsey looked terrible, with scars and burns all over his body and face. Such deformities are often found in urban legends, which further emphasizes the creepy image of the character.

But if you remove the husk - the hook hand, the scars and burns - then the truth will be revealed. There was a real Cropsey, and his name was Andre Rand.

Andre Rand was born in the 1940s. In 1983, he worked as a custodian at Willowbrook Public School on Staten Island. That same year, he took a school bus with 11 children without permission and drove to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.



Still from the 1981 film "The Burning"

The kidnapping attempt was unsuccessful. Moreover, it was not clear why he did it at all. The man was sentenced to ten months in prison.

Rand had never been trusted by the parents living in the area. People saw Rand walking with children, even though he was much older than them. He tried to make friends with schoolchildren, going on walks with them and even taking them to a local diner to treat them.



Andre Rand

This may all seem sweet and innocent, but his intentions were never clear. The guy really scared parents and children. Apart from accidentally kidnapping a bus full of schoolchildren, he was often the last person seen with missing people.

However, no one has been able to prove that he was involved in the kidnapping or disappearance. Many people accused him of kidnapping and even murder, but there was no evidence.

The Reality Behind Cropsey



It wasn't until 1987 that everything changed on Staten Island. That year, twelve-year-old Jennifer Schweiger disappeared.

In 1988, Andre was taken into custody for kidnapping and murder of a child in the first degree. This was the first disappearance to which Rand was legally linked.

However, it was not the last. That same year, he would be accused of the disappearance of several more children, including Alice Pereira, Holly Ann Hughes, Tiahis Jackson and Hank Gafforio.



Still from the 1981 film "The Burning"

However, he was only charged with kidnapping Holly Ann Hughes. The interesting and horrifying fact about these charges is that although the jury was able to establish that Rand was the one who kidnapped the children, they were never able to prove that he killed them.

Thus, without being charged with murder, he was found guilty of kidnapping on both counts. The court sentenced the kidnapper to a prison term that will end in 2037. He will only be released from prison if he lives to be 90 years old.

In fact, Rand had been known to the police for many years and had a record of crimes against children.



Andre Rand

In 1969, he served 16 months in prison for attempting to assault a nine-year-old girl. The fact that he worked as a custodian at a school on Staten Island seems very strange for a criminal with such a background.

However, the reputation of Willowbrook Public School at that time was also not the best. The educational institution was intended for children with learning difficulties.

It is highly likely that Andre Rand was involved in many other crimes against children, and the management of Willowbrook Public School on Staten Island knew about his character and tendencies. The public did not know about the conditions at the school or Rand's crimes until the 1970s.

The end of Cropsey



Still from the 2009 documentary "Cropsie"

Cropsey turned out to be a very interesting character for filmmakers. Several films have been made based on the stories of the affected families.



And although direct evidence of Rand’s involvement in the murders was not found, with a high degree of probability he is an urban legend - come to life, real and therefore even more terrible.