A three-day operation on Long Island located 34 children and teens who had been reported missing to police in Nassau and Suffolk counties or to the New York City Police Department, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday. The young people were ages 7 to 18 when they were reported missing, according to the governor's announcement.
The release does not say how long each person had been missing, where each was found or whether any criminal charges resulted. It describes the group as children and teens located through the operation, not as victims of a single incident. Investigations into other cases are continuing.
More than 100 professionals from nearly 40 agencies and organizations took part. The state Division of Criminal Justice Services' Missing Persons Clearinghouse, Office of Children and Family Services and National Child Protection Task Force co-led the effort, with support from state police.
After months of planning, investigators worked from a command center in Garden City, reviewed case files, followed new leads and shared information across agencies. The operation ended Thursday. Nassau, Suffolk and New York City agencies participated, but the release does not break down the 34 people located by reporting jurisdiction.
Law enforcement worked alongside social workers, advocates and community organizations to assess each young person's circumstances. Services offered as needed included safe placement, medical care, counseling, transportation, food and clothing. Medical examinations and forensic interviews were provided when appropriate, the state said.
Officials said finding a child is only the first step. The Office of Children and Family Services coordinated with local providers and advocacy organizations to arrange longer-term support based on individual needs, with the aim of reducing future missing episodes.
Kevin Branzetti, chief executive of the National Child Protection Task Force, cautioned against treating every case as a dramatic rescue. Finding children, listening to what happened and helping address the circumstances that put them at risk are all parts of the response, he said.
This was New York's fourth operation of its kind. Previous operations in Erie County, the Capital Region and Westchester County located 168 children and teens reported missing to participating police agencies. The new release does not say whether the methods or outcomes were identical across the operations.
Police received 10,629 missing-person reports involving children younger than 18 statewide in 2025, according to the state. Officials classified 94% as runaways. Police closed 10,672 cases during the year, a total that included reports from earlier years; it should not be compared directly with the number of new 2025 reports as a same-year recovery rate.
At the end of 2025, 1,079 missing-child cases remained active statewide. The state did not provide a new statewide total after the Long Island operation or say how many of the 34 cases had been in that year-end count.
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