Queens Woman Charged with Kidnapping After Fleeing Barnes & Noble With Child, Tracked by Police Helicopter to Roosevelt Field Mall

The Third Squad reports the arrest of a Queens female for an incident that occurred on Saturday, January 17, 2026 at 1:16 pm in Carle Place.

According to Detectives, Defendant Charlene Smith, 41, of Fresh Meadows was having supervised visitation with her 7-year-old child, at Barnes and Noble located at 91 Old Country Road when the defendant exited the premise and fled scene with the victim in an unknown direction.

After an extensive investigation, the Nassau County Police Aviation Unit Helicopter 4 located the defendant and the victim in the parking lot of the Roosevelt Field Mall and directed patrol units to the location. The defendant was placed into custody without incident.

The victim was also transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation. No injuries were reported.

Defendant Charlene Smith is charged with Kidnapping 2nd Degree, Criminal Contempt 2nd Degree, Endangering the Welfare of a Child and Custodial Interference. She will be arraigned on Sunday, January 18, 2026 at First District Court 99 Main Street, Hempstead.

13-Year-Old Franklin Square Boy with Rare Kidney Condition Urgently Needs a Donor

While most teens worry about homework and weekend plans, Elias is facing a serious medical struggle.

A local 13-year-old boy is battling a rare congenital kidney condition and his family is urgently seeking a living kidney donor to save his life.

Elias Manolis is an eighth grader who loves school, his family and spending time with his newly adopted puppy, Cooper. But while most teens worry about homework and weekend plans, Elias is facing a serious medical struggle. Born with a condition that obstructs his urinary system, his kidneys have been deteriorating for months, and his overall kidney function has dropped to a dangerously low level.

Elias said a successful transplant would mean a chance at the normal childhood most kids take for granted. “If I get a new kidney, then I actually can live a normal life,” he shared, noting he often has to cut activities short because of medical complications.

When Dialysis Looms

Doctors at the Northwell Transplant Institute warn that Elias is nearing the point where he will have to begin dialysis — a time-consuming treatment that requires multiple hospital visits each week. Because he is so young, his family is focusing on finding a living donor, whose kidney generally lasts significantly longer than one from a deceased donor.

What Being a Donor Involves

Medical staff explain that donating a kidney doesn’t mean giving up an active lifestyle. The surgery is typically minimally invasive, requires just a short hospital stay, and many donors return to normal routines fairly quickly. “We have donors who are marathon runners… back at running, exercising,” said a Northwell living donor ambassador.

Elias’ parents, Nick and Margaret Manolis, both say watching their son fight every day has been heartbreaking — and they hope a donor will step forward soon. “To want to help your kid and you can’t, it’s very hard,” Nick said.

How You Can Help

Potential donors should ideally have type O or B blood and a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or less to be considered a match. Anyone interested in learning more is encouraged to reach out to Northwell’s transplant team:

• Libbie Binkiewicz, LMSW (Living Donor Ambassador)
  📞 Call/text: 516-666-0899
  📧 [email protected]

• Northwell Transplant Department
  📞 516-472-5800

Elias and his family say that whoever steps up to donate will truly be a hero, giving him the gift of life and a chance to grow up healthy.

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Enjoy your weekend

The LongIsland.com Team