Hi. Yes, that was me  - Hollywood Blvd Freddy - Gerard Christian Zacher - that got falsely arrested for "stabbing someone" while working. I was assaulted by a psychotic person who seemed VERY high on drugs. He just came up to me right out of the blue just after I had taken some photos with people. He cussed and threatened my life for no reason and then began to assault me, shoving me around and grabbing my hat. While trying to get my hat out of his grasp, he came at me and collided with the tip of one of the claws. It turned out it was just a scratch / scrape - which is the FURTHEST extent that the claw is at all ABLE to do. This very same assailant was going around assaulting other people as well. He tried to intentially shove small children out into the street into oncoming traffic and knocked over hot food carts on people. The police stopped him and caught him. He tried to divert the attention away from himself and what he had just done to a number of people onto me - making a mountain out of a mole hill. Unfortunately, it worked and I got arrested on the spot and charged with "assault with a deadly weapon". I was taken to three different jails over the next few days and wound up in county in the "Twin Towers". I was utterly humilated and mocked beyond belief. Cops kept trying to take photos of me in hand cuffs and being yanked around. but worst of all was the fact that I was ALSO mocked for being diabetic by certain police officers and even one of the doctors. I was denied my proper medication, forced to eat food that cause me diabetic health problems and my pleas to see a doctor when I was very weak and feeling ill were ignored - BLATANTLY. I was shouted at to "shut up", and the officers walked away. But after 4 days of being treated as if I had killed twenty people, the entire case was COMPLETELY DROPPED after investigation. I was released. But the cops had "misplaced" some of my property and I still have to work at getting that back. That included my boots and I had to walk much of the way home through downtown LA in the middle of the night practically barefoot. Then I finally get home and find that my apartment had been broken into in the meantime, and it was very obvious who had done it. Many of my things were stolen to be sold for drug money. The #1 suspect is the most recent full time Hollywood Blvd Jason Vorhees ("Friday the 13th"). He took advantage of my suffering to rob me. What a guy! When I was first friends with him, I hewlped him. Then we found out he was quite open about being a heroin addict, among other things. So now, I have to deal with the police AGAIN about THIS now - but thank God I am on the OTHER side of the law NOW! LOL! I am currently being sought after by news programs, TV shows, and other media for interviews about what had happened and my experience in prison, and the aftermath. I am taking this opportunity to publicly clear my name, my reputation, and publicly apologize to Robert Englund, Wes Craven, Robert Shaye, and the rest of the execs, cast, and crew of the "Nightmare On Elm Street" / Freddy Vs. Jason" movies and New Line Cinema in general for the mishap and explain that I never intended to cause them any embarrassment. I DID speak to one of the excutive producers of New Line Cinema for the time being, and he was fully understanding of the incident, laughed it off, and gave me full permission and encouragement to continue to impersonate Freddy. A VERY negative situiation is now turning into a positive one. And I am okay and getting my life back and then some!

Best Wishes,

       Gerard Christian Zacher

POSTING ON INCIDENT 2: HOLLYWOOD BLVD CHARACTERS NOT ALL "KOOKS"!!

After what had happened to me with the false arrest and all, AND after the bad, very discriminatory press we characters have ALWAYS gotten, I want to clear a few things up. So, here goes:

Yes, there ARE a few "kooks". A couple here and there use it as an excuse to sexually molest people. Some are flat-out- bums who just see a quick way to make a buck without having to go through a real job process. Some want money for drugs or booze. Some are people who have difficulty finding other work and still need to survive. Some are people just unnaturally obsessed with the characters they choose to impersonate. (THESE types choose only one particular character and do it religiously.) Some of them are much too aggressive and go too far by pestering people for photos / tips. (Most of THESE types pester others because they know they have bad, shabby, low-quality costumes and that no one would VOLUNTARILY go to THEM...Personally, I NEVER behave in these manners...EVER.)

Regardless of their various reasons, there IS still an undeniable market for it - people wanting photos with their favorite characters of choice - which is WHY it continues to thrive.

In MY personal, particular case, I am an actor trying to get better entertainment industry attention, and, thusly, get better, higher-paying acting jobs in film and on television, on stage, etc. Everyday I work is an audition for me. You never know who is going to notice you because many important entertainment industry people frequent that area. That is why I treat this as the art it SHOULD be. That is why I go through the trouble of the many various characters - to show diversity. That is why I do all the special effects make-up and elaborate and / or authentic-looking costumes...if it is good, it will get attention, and it also shows diversity, and it brings out my performing abilities. The more realistic the character looks, the more it will bring out true acting. And transforming oneself into these various things, for an actor, IS a lot of fun.

THAT is why I wound up accidentally arrested because of the Freddy claw. I always want to make myself as authentic as possible - whichever character I do. I don't WANT props or accessories to look fake. The claw was a costume prop - which makes it a RECREATIONAL OBJECT and NOT a weapon, and thusly, should legally be CONSIDERED a weapon. The "blades" were made for me by another person with assurance that they had been filed down enough to be safe to work with. Even the tips had been severely filed. I had worked with this claw for years and nothing had EVER happened before. The only reason it DID was because a psychotic person decided he was going around physically assaulting almost everyone in his path, and, unfortunately, I happened to be one of them. I did NOT attack HIM. HE attacked ME. I just instinctively moved to block myself from another attempted lunge / shove from him. Even something like a ballpoint PEN can wound someone if he / she rushes at it with enough force. And that, unfortunately, is what had happened. HE ran INTO them HIMSELF, so I never actually "stabbed him" at all. In his attack, he had done it to HIMSELF. And, because it sounded like a major juicy headline - "Freddy Krueger stabs someone"...I fell victim to everything possible and suffered four days of torment in prison - including intentional medical malpractice regarding my diabetic condition. As if that weren't enough, meanwhile, the press took much glee in twisting and exaggerating the incident for their own greedy purposes - dragging my name and the character's name and the Hollywood Blvd characters in general - through the mud with much slander. Then, when the entire thing was dropped and I was released, they took very little to no interest in what had turned out to be the truth and denied me the opportunity to set the record straight and clear my name. Since I was no longer a kooky Freddy stabber, but instead a real person who was the victim of an assault and a believable accident, I was no longer interesting enough for them. So, to hell with my GOOD name and to hell with the real truth of the occurence, as far as they were concerned.

Many actors come and go from small jobs - including waiting on tables, etc. This kind of job is no different EXCEPT...that with THIS kind of work, an actor actually GETS to ACT while pursuing and waiting for BIG, legitimate acting jobs.

NOW...

...For those that generalize us ALL as "kooks" and judge us with harsh prejiduce...let me pose THIS to you:

1.) Though we don't officially charge, in tips, we can make a good FEW hundred a day on very busy days if our characters / costumes are good, and we do not answer to any boss. How many of you wouldn't RATHER be your OWN bosses? Keep your OWN schedules?

2.) How many of you people with average jobs wouldn't WANT to make a few hundred a day if you could?

3.) For those of us who are actual ACTORS out there - as opposed to the handful of bums-in-costumes - we are there in an effort to get noticed by the occasional "right people" so that we can get on film, TV, etc., and wind up making MILLIONS per movie, etc,., etc. The American dream. Hell, EVERY dream. If you had ANY possible chance of getting to make millions - WOULDN'T you at least TRY for it?

If you say, "No" to or turn down any of any of these questions / options, then I'd have to call you a LIAR!! Yes, a LIAR! Or if not a liar, then someone who would rather remain poor or struggling or mediocre and under someone ELSE'S thumb for the rest of your life.

No personal offense meant to anyone with these points. To each his own, of course. But, considering all these things, I have VERY valid reasons for doing this as a side job, and I am CERTAINLY NOT an "attacker" by ANY means. They found my record / rap sheet to be 100 erfectly CLEAN - having NEVER had ANY kind of trouble before in my life. And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, IS the TRUTH.

Thank You For Your Time,
Gerard Christian Zacher