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Cropsey
A campfire legend about a hook-handed madman became real. Andre Rand kidnapped and killed children. He worked at Willowbrook. Kids had been warning each other about him for years.
1970s - Present
Staten Island, New York, USA
50+ witnesses
Cropsey proves that urban legends sometimes have real monsters behind them.
The Legend
What kids said:
- Hook for hand
- Escaped mental patient
- Lurked in woods
- Kidnapped children
- Every kid knew
Willowbrook
The connection:
- State School
- For disabled children
- Horrific conditions
- 1972 exposé
- Andre Rand worked there
Andre Rand
The real monster:
- Custodian
- Convicted kidnapper
- Multiple children
- Staten Island
- Woods near Willowbrook
The Victims
Children disappeared:
- Jennifer Schweiger (1987)
- Holly Ann Hughes (1981)
- Others suspected
- Bodies on grounds
- Rand convicted
The Documentary
2009 film:
- “Cropsey”
- Joshua Zeman
- Barbara Brancaccio
- Connected legend to reality
- Acclaimed work
Legend Becomes Real
Unusual case:
- Folklore preceded crime
- Or reflected fear
- Children sensed danger
- Tried to warn
- Adults didn’t listen