Patchogue Man Arrested After Luring 4-Year-Old From Laundromat, Child Found Safe

Carlos Corte, 38, of Patchogue was arrested Saturday after surveillance footage showed him walking a 4-year-old girl out the rear exit of Laundry Kingdom at 138 East Main Street, while her mother and sibling remained inside the building believing the child was nearby.

At approximately 12:08 p.m., the child's mother reported her daughter missing to Suffolk County Police. Officers pulled surveillance video from Laundry Kingdom, which captured Corte approaching the girl inside the business and guiding her out through the back of the building. Armed with that footage, patrol officers canvassed the surrounding blocks and found the child unharmed in the children's play area of the Patchogue-Medford Library. Corte was taken into custody near the scene. The surveillance record gave investigators a known direction of travel almost immediately, compressing the time between the first call and the recovery.

Corte faces charges of second-degree kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child. Police say he was not known to the family. He was held overnight at the Sixth Precinct and arraigned the following day at First District Court in Central Islip, where he also faced a separate, unrelated outstanding warrant from the Village Court of Patchogue.

At arraignment, Corte's attorney argued that his client believed he was helping the girl locate her parents and that a language barrier contributed to a misunderstanding. Prosecutors held firm on the kidnapping charge, citing the documented facts: a stranger escorted a 4-year-old out a rear exit without the knowledge or consent of her mother.

The speed of the recovery points to what investigators consistently identify as the two most critical elements after a child goes missing: the immediate report and the first camera pull. Had Laundry Kingdom lacked rear-exit coverage, or had the mother delayed calling police, Corte and the child could have traveled well beyond the library. The proximity of the Patchogue-Medford Library, situated close enough to fall within a tight canvass radius, also kept the search contained.

Under New York's Amber Alert criteria, a confirmed abduction must involve imminent danger and sufficient descriptive information before a statewide broadcast is triggered. In this case, Laundry Kingdom's surveillance footage provided investigators a direct lead that resolved the search before escalation became necessary, a scenario that reinforces the practical value of camera coverage at every exit in storefronts along busy commercial corridors like East Main Street.

Corte's next court appearance in Central Islip will determine whether prosecutors seek enhanced penalties given the victim's age.