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Andre Rand is the assumed kidnapper and murderer of many children in Staten Island, New York. Most commonly portrayed by the media as a “boogeyman” he is often associated with the Island’s local urban legend called "Cropsey". Rand has also associated with the mentally disabled and accused of taking part in some of the Island’s underground occult activities. Although no hard evidence linking him to any of the later crimes has been presented, he was tried and indicted of two cases of kidnapping and Murder.

Early life
Not much is known of Andre’s early life. He was born on March 11th, 1944 under the name of Frank Rushan. The origins of the pseudonym, Andre Rand, remain unknown. According to claims made by his sister in a documentary, neither of them were abused or had violence acted toward them to cause them to lash out at others. However, it is also a well-known fact that his mother suffered from a mental illness and was kept at Willowbrook State School, a mental institution on Staten Island. Rand would oftentimes go to visit his mother and would stay for extended periods of time among the patients. In the Mid 1960’s, Rand worked as a custodian at the hospital until his first crime in 1969.

Willowbrook State School
Since his mother was admitted, Rand has always been associated with having a connection to the grounds of Willowbrook. The hospital is located on Staten Island, New York and is surrounded by a forest called the Greenbelt. During his employment, he was exposed to the terrible conditions and mistreatment of patients of the school. In some cases, reports of human experimentation and left to live in horrible conditions. It is also rumored that patients were used to hepatitis research by infecting them with the virus by means of force-feeding infected foods. In the mid 1960’s, Willowbrook’s population skyrocketed to 6,000 while only having enough room to house 4,000. In 1971, Senator Robert Kennedy referred to the hospital as a “snake pit” in a local newspaper where the interiors of Willowbrook were published. In 1972, documentary filmmaker Geraldo Rivera brought the hidden side of Willowbrook to the public eye in an expose’ entitled Willowbrook: The Last Great Disgrace. The visuals shown in the film lead to a number of allegations against Willowbrook. In 1987, Willowbrook was closed by the state. In the years after the grounds were abandoned, many local residents set our to explore the area for leisure and mystery. In many cases, those who ventured in reported sighting Rand in or around the building or in the surrounding forest. Subterranean tunnel systems were discovered beneath the hospital, with signs that someone or something had recently been living there. Many makeshift campsites, allegedly belonging to Rand, were also discovered in the Greenbelt.

"Cropsey"
The mystery of the abandoned hospital had its effect on the island’s youth. Underage children and teenagers began making a habit to explore the grounds and the surrounding woods. Fearing for the safety of their children, parents responded by coining a story of a madman who lived in the woods and would kidnap the children who came to investigate. The legend was given the name “Cropsey” and has become very well known to the residents of Staten Island. Some tell of him having a hook for a hand, others depict him wielding a bloodied axe. Although there are many different versions, they all center on the same idea. Due to the similarities between the Cropsey and Andre Rand, the two are often associated together.

Early Crime Record
On May 25th, 1969, Rand was arrested by the local law enforcement for the attempted sexual assault of a nine-year-old girl. He was caught before he could engage in the act and convicted. He was charged with kidnapping and attempted sexual assault and served 16 months in prison. After his time was served, he was also accused of raping a young woman as well as a 15-year-old girl. Rand was not indicted for the crime, for neither victim pressed charges. On a separate occurrence, Rand picked up a group of 11 children from the YMCA in a school bus, purchased a meal for them, without the consent from any of their parents, and took them to the Newark Airport. None of the children were ever harmed in this encounter, but Rand was apprehended and served ten months in jail for unlawful imprisonment.

Rand’s alleged victims
1972: Missing at the age of five, Alice Perreira mysteriously vanished after her brother had left her alone for a moment. They were playing in the lobby of a building on the island. Reports also suggest Alice may have been sighted in one of the parks. Rand was the prime suspect in this case due to his previous crime record. Alice has never been seen again.

1981: Local resident of Staten Island, Holly Ann Hughes, did not return home after going outside to play. Her parents filed a missing persons report and a search was issued. When questioned, several eyewitnesses reported seeing Hughes with Rand. She was reported being very dirty and entered a grocery store to purchase a bar of soap. She was last seen with Rand and has not been seen again to this day.

1983: 11-year-old Tiahease Jackson was reported missing after her mother sent her to purchase food and did not return. She was last seen exiting the Mariner’s Harbor Motel in Staten Island on August 14th, just 12 days after Rand was released from Prison. Rand was quickly questioned about the girl, but due to the lack of evidence and witnesses, no charges were pressed on him.

1984: Local Staten Island resident, Hank Gafforio, was reported missing after he did not return home one night. Gafforio was described as being “slow” and had an I.Q. in the 70’s. At the time of his disappearance, he was 22 years of age. Eyewitnesses reported last seeing Gafforio in a local diner with Rand in the early morning hours. No body has yet to be found.

1987: Jennifer Schweiger, born with Down syndrome, was reported missing on July 9th, 1987. She had stated that she was going on a short walk, only to never return. The residents decided to band together for form a search group to find the young girl. After a 35-day search, volunteers had found the body of the young girl. While combing the area around Willowbrook State School, one of the search dogs’ attention was caught by one particular spot. Reports from those involved in the search state that it wasn’t long before the digging had commenced that a foul smell of decay seeped from the ground. As they continued, a small foot was unearthed. With continuous digging, the entire body was unearthed from the shallow grave and the remains were positively identified as those of Jennifer. In the next few days, police would search the grounds for evidence, only to find one of Rand’s makeshift campsites in close proximity of Jennifer’s grave.

Conviction
Rand was brought to trial in 2004. After many lengthy trials, Rand was convicted on the kidnapping of Holly Ann Hughes and Jennifer Schweiger. The judge over the trial issued Rand a 25 year sentence for each case. Rand, 60 at the time of his trial is currently serving his time in a New York prison until his death.

Media Attention
After Rand’s arrest, he was associated with the local legend, Cropsey. The media has oftentimes portrayed Rand as a boogeyman. Many who are familiar with the case harbor negative views on Andre.

In 2009, Staten Island Filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio published a horror documentary around Rand and the local legend entitled Cropsey. Although both Zeman and Brancaccio are from Staten Island, a neutral view is maintained throughout the film. The film also received three out of five stars from film critic, Roger Ebert.