Frantic Manhunt for Kidnapped Child Ends With 14-Year-Old Arrested for Prank Call: Police

A manhunt that started in Florida and ended on Long Island concluded with a 14-year-old being arrested and charged with falsely reporting an incident, police say.

New York State Police said they were contacted Saturday by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, who reported that a caller had identified himself as a 10-year-old child who had been kidnapped and had suffered a gunshot wound to his neck. The caller gave his name but ended the call prior to providing his location. When dispatchers tried to call him back, there was no answer.

The Broward County Sheriff’s Office determined that the call was coming from the area of the Southern State Parkway in Nassau County. Due to the location of the call, the New York State Police took over the investigation.

The call set off a frantic search by police for the child. State police were assisted by intelligence units from the Nassau County Police, Suffolk County Police, New York City Police and the Maryland State Police. Assistance was also provided by police departments from the villages of Hempstead and Rockville Centre.

Investigators eventually determined that the caller’s phone was in the Westbury area, and after a search of the area they made contact with the owner of the cell phone. The owner stated that her son had access to the phone earlier in the day. The mother escorted the state police team to their temporary residence at an area motel, where a 14-year-old juvenile was identified as the caller. He admitted to making the false call, and he was arrested at the scene.

The boy was charged as a juvenile for falsely reporting an incident, which would be a Class A misdemeanor if he were an adult. The child was issued an appearance ticket directing him to appear in Nassau Family Court on Wednesday.

In an unrelated incident, a member of the housekeeping staff at the motel approached the troopers while they were conducting the investigation. She told them she had just discovered an unresponsive guest in a nearby room. The employee stated that there were also needles and drug paraphernalia in the room.

Troopers rushed to the room and found an unresponsive man. They rendered first aid and determined that he was experiencing a heroin overdose. Troopers administered Naloxone and provided first aid until an ambulance from the Nassau County Police Department arrived. The man was transported to an area hospital for admission.

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