Thirty-four missing children and teenagers were located across Long Island and Queens during a three-day, multiagency operation that officials said also uncovered cases involving human trafficking and other forms of exploitation.
The “Long Island Children Rescue Operation” ran from Tuesday through Thursday, bringing together nearly 100 professionals from roughly 40 law enforcement agencies and organizations. Investigators operated from a command center in Garden City, Nassau County, as they worked to locate vulnerable children whose disappearances had ranged from several days to as long as a decade.
The children located ranged in age from 7 to 18. Most were identified as runaways, officials said, while some had been subjected to exploitation and human trafficking.
The operation resulted in the recovery of 18 children from Nassau County, 12 from Suffolk County and four from Queens, according to Newsday. Another 31 local missing-child cases remain open.
New York State Police Superintendent Steven James said the operation highlights the scale of the missing-child problem across the state.
“A total of 10,629 children younger than 18 were reported missing to police across New York State in 2025, with 94% reported as runaways,” James said Friday.
Police closed 10,672 missing-child cases during 2025 involving reports made that year or earlier. Even after those cases were resolved, 1,079 active missing-child cases remained statewide at the end of the year.
Officials stressed that finding a missing child is only the beginning of the process.
“Not every case ends with a dramatic rescue, a door being kicked in, and a child being carried to safety,” said Kevin Branzetti, chief executive officer of the National Child Protection Task Force.
“The reality is that finding a child quickly — hopefully before something bad happens — often takes a coordinated effort. But finding them is only the first step,” Branzetti said.
Authorities and child-protection organizations worked to connect the recovered children with medical care, basic necessities and other support services. Officials said investigators also seek to understand why each child left, what happened while the child was missing and what assistance may be needed afterward.
The Long Island operation is the fourth major missing-child rescue effort conducted in New York in recent years.
Earlier operations in Erie County, the Capital Region and Westchester County located a combined 168 missing children and teenagers.
In February, a separate three-day operation in Westchester County involving approximately 70 federal, state and local agencies located 43 missing and runaway children.
The latest operation also underscores an important distinction in missing-child cases: while many reports involve runaways who eventually return safely, some children face substantially more serious dangers while they are missing, including exploitation and trafficking.
For the children located this week, however, the immediate objective was accomplished: they were found and connected with people and organizations prepared to help them begin the next stage of their recovery.
And for investigators, the work continues. Thirty-one local cases remain open, meaning the search for missing children across the region is far from finished.
