NEW YORK - The New York Post reports that a wide-ranging operation targeting missing children in the New York metro area resulted in 34 missing children being rescued in just three days, law enforcement officials announced Friday.
The operation, called the "Long Island Children's Rescue Operation," rescued kids that had been missing for only a few days up to some who had been missing for 10 years, with victims ranging in age from 7 to 18.
The children recovered included runaways and others who "were subjected to grotesque exploitation and human trafficking," The Post reported.
"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," New York State Police Superintendent Steven James said in a Friday statement.
"During that year, police closed 10,678 cases involving children reported missing in 2025 or earlier years. At the end of 2025, there were 1,079 active missing children cases statewide."
The operation, which involved numerous law enforcement agencies, ran from Tuesday through Thursday, working out of a command center in Garden City, Nassau County.
Those rescued included 18 from Nassau County, 12 from Suffolk County, and four from the borough of Queens, Newsday reported, while 31 additional cases remain open, according to the governor's office.
The Long Island effort is the fourth such rescue effort to take place in New York, with previous operations in Erie County, the Capital Region, and Westchester, which located 168 missing children and teens.
The Long Island Children's Rescue Operation involved nearly 100 law enforcement personnel among 40 participating agencies and organizations who worked to recover the children and connect them with resources, including medical attention and other services.
"Not every case ends with a dramatic rescue, a door being kicked in, and a child being carried to safety," said National Child Protection Task Force chief executive officer Kevin Branzetti.
"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. 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."
The Westchester County operation, which took place in February, was led by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services and included 70 federal, state, and local agencies. That effort recovered 43 missing and runaway children.
While that effort was a county-wide effort, resources were focused on communities plagued by missing child cases, including Dobbs Ferry, Mount Pleasant, Mount Vernon, White Plains, and Yonkers, the Division of Criminal Justice Services said.
"Everyone is in the room focused on one task, and when something is needed, it's a conversation across the table instead of a phone call," Tim Williams, program manager at the division's Missing Person's Clearinghouse, told The Post.
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