Carlos Corte, of Patchogue, charged with kidnapping for leading a 4-year-old girl out of a village laundromat, police say

A Patchogue man was arrested Saturday after he allegedly led a 4-year-old girl out of a laundromat and away from her mother, according to Suffolk County police.

A woman reported her daughter missing while at Laundry Kingdom on East Main Street in Patchogue around 12:08 p.m., Suffolk County police said. Officers reviewed surveillance footage and searched the area. During the search, the mother found her daughter in the children’s play area at the nearby Patchogue-Medford Library.

Police took Carlos Corte, 38, into custody near the laundromat. Police said Corte, who was not known to the family, led the girl out of the building’s rear exit.

Corte was arrested and charged with second-degree kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child, police said. 

Corte pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Sunday at First District Court in Central Islip, according to court records.

Alexandra Dyroff, Corte's Legal Aid attorney, could not be reached for comment.

Newsday's Janon Fisher contributed to this story.