It started as a normal afternoon inside a laundromat on East Main Street in Patchogue—until a stranger quietly walked out with a 4-year-old girl.
According to Suffolk County Police, the child was with her mother and sibling at a laundromat located at 138 East Main St. around 12:08 p.m. on March 28 when a man, later identified as 38-year-old Carlos Corte of Patchogue, approached and led the young girl out through a back exit.
Moments later, the child was gone.
Her mother reported her missing, triggering an immediate response from patrol officers. Police quickly reviewed surveillance footage and began canvassing the surrounding area, trying to determine where the child had been taken.
Then, in a sudden and unexpected turn, the search shifted.
The mother herself located her daughter inside the children’s play area at the Patchogue-Medford Library on East Main Street, just a short distance from where she was taken.
As officers moved in, they found Corte back near the laundromat—where he was taken into custody without further incident.
Following an investigation by Fifth Squad detectives, Corte was charged with Kidnapping in the Second Degree, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, and an outstanding warrant.
He was held overnight and is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on March 29.
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Photo: Google Maps.
