Jed Lehman, 47, from Trenton, went out of his way to shield his 3-year-old daughter, Isabella, from the masked menace after hearing him taunt passersby.

"What's happened to society? Now Elmo is trying to shake down kids for a dollar? Only in New York," said Lehman.

Asked why he was so grumpy, the fake Elmo said he was misunderstood.

"I'm not being rude. Taking an Elmo picture without paying is rude. It's called making a living," said the character, who refused to give his real name or take off his costume head.

