34 Missing Children Rescued in 72-Hour Long Island Operation
Multi-agency effort located children aged 7 to 18, some victims of exploitation.
Law enforcement agencies successfully located 34 missing children, ranging in age from 7 to 18, during a three-day operation on Long Island and in Queens, officials announced Friday. The "Long Island Children Rescue Operation" concluded this week, bringing an end to disappearances that varied from a few days to as long as 10 years.
While the majority of the rescued youth were classified as runaways, some were found to be victims of exploitation and human trafficking. The operation, which ran from Tuesday through Thursday, involved nearly 100 professionals from over 40 agencies and organizations working from a command center in Garden City, Nassau County.
New York State police superintendent Steven James stated that in 2025, 10,629 children under 18 were reported missing across the state, with 94% categorized as runaways. During that same year, police closed 10,672 cases involving missing children from 2025 and prior years, leaving 1,079 active cases statewide at the end of the year.
The rescued children included 18 from Nassau County, 12 from Suffolk County, and four from Queens. According to the governor’s office, an additional 31 local cases remain open.
This operation marks the fourth such child rescue effort in New York. Previous operations in Erie County, the Capital Region, and Westchester County led to the recovery of 168 missing children and teens.
Kevin Branzetti, chief executive officer of the National Child Protection Task Force, emphasized the importance of a coordinated effort in locating missing children quickly. "Finding them is only the first step," Branzetti said. "We need to listen and understand why they left, what they experienced while they were gone, and most importantly, what we can do to help."
In February, a similar operation in Westchester County, led by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services and involving 70 agencies, found 43 missing and runaway children. That operation utilized law enforcement, child services, and digital technology teams, focusing on communities with a high number of missing child cases. Tim Williams, program manager at the division’s Missing Person’s Clearinghouse, noted the efficiency of having all involved parties working collaboratively in one location.