Former North Pole Theme Park Santa Charged in Child Exploitation Investigation

For years, he sat children on his lap and listened to their Christmas wishes. Now, a 75-year-old upstate New York man who played Santa Claus at one of the country's oldest Christmas theme parks is facing charges after police say he tried to arrange sexual encounters with minors.

Clarence Russell, of Paul Smiths, was arrested Sept. 5 by the Ticonderoga Police Department. He is charged with attempted second-degree rape of a victim under 15, a felony, and attempted endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor. Police say investigators determined Russell had been communicating online with people he believed were arranging sexual encounters with minors.

According to local reports, the arrest followed a sting by a self-described online predator hunter who posed as a mother offering to arrange encounters between Russell and her children. Police say Russell drove roughly two hours from his home in Franklin County to Ticonderoga to meet her. The man behind the sting confronted Russell when he arrived, then called police, who took Russell into custody.

Family members said Russell had worked as a Santa impersonator at Santa's Workshop, a Christmas-themed amusement park in the hamlet of North Pole, near Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, New York, for around a decade. The park first opened in 1949 and is considered one of America's earliest theme parks.

In a statement to WPTZ, the park confirmed Russell's past employment but distanced itself from him: "Clarence Russell has not been employed by Santa's Workshop North Pole, N.Y., since 2025. He is no longer affiliated with our organization in any capacity."

Russell was released after his arrest, but the case took another turn when he failed to appear for his arraignment in Ticonderoga Town Court. A judge signed a warrant for his arrest, and he turned himself in to Ticonderoga police the following day.

The investigation remains ongoing. Ticonderoga police are asking anyone with information about Russell to contact the department at 518-585-3456.