The reported her missing, and patrol officers responded to the scene, where they reviewed surveillance video and began canvassing the area. During the search, the mother located her daughter in the children’s play area of the Patchogue-Medford Library, located at 54-60 East Main St. A patrol officer then located Corte near the laundromat and took him into custody," police added.
Corte-Corte was charged with second-degree kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child, police said.
"Corte-Corte illegally entered the U.S. on at least three occasions in 2020 and was removed each time. He chose to commit a felony and illegally re-entered the U.S. a fourth time at an unknown place and time before attempting to kidnap the child," DHS said in a statement.
The day after his arrest, a Suffolk County district judge freed Corte-Corte on supervised release with a GPS monitor, the New York Post reported.
The newspaper said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney disagreed with the judge’s decision and added that, "I think if you look at the facts of the case, clearly they’re concerning."
"He thought the girl lived alone without parents," the New York Post quoted Corte-Corte's public defender as saying in court. "He took her to the library and told an employee there as such, but there was a language barrier. It seems to be a mistake."
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office for further comment.