'When the nightmare begins': FBI joins the search for 9-year-old feared to have been abducted while camping in upstate New York

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Nine-year-old Charlotte Sena is feared to have been abducted Saturday whilst on a camping trip with her family in upstate New York's Moreau Lake State Park.

The FBI has joined the search, and the 4,691 acre park has been closed until further notice amid growing concerns that the little girl faces "imminent danger."

What are the details?

The New York State Police issued an AMBER alert Sunday morning, noting that Sena, from Greenfield in Saratoga County, is believed to have been abducted on Saturday around 6:45 p.m. near Moreau Lake State Park, Loop A, Site 18, in Gansevoort, New York. The alert indicates the girl "was taken under circumstances that lead police to believe that they are in imminent danger of serious harm and/or death."

Sena is described has having long, blonde hair and green eyes, standing at 4 feet 6 inches tall, and weighing around 90 pounds. She was last seen wearing an orange tie-dye Pokemon shirt, dark blue pants, and a gray bicycle helmet. Police ask anyone with information pertaining to the abduction to call NYSP at 518-457-6811 or to dial 911.

— (@)

WCBS-TV reported that the fourth-grader had been biking with friends, but had elected to do one more loop alone down a paved road, which threads through a heavily wooded area.

"Last evening, she went out on a bike ride; it wasn’t dark, right around dinnertime, and did a couple of loops with close friends she considers her cousins," said Gov. Kathy Hochul. "And then she decided, after going around True Bay, she said she just wanted to go around one more time by herself – be that big girl, do it by herself."

"Literally 15 minutes later, she hadn't come back yet," continued the governor. "And that's really when the nightmare begins."

"At approximately 6:45 p.m., Charlotte's bike was located in Loop A, and at 6:47 p.m., Charlotte's mom, Trish, called 911 to report the child missing," said NYSP Lt. Col. Richard Mazzone.

Yesterday, 9-year-old Charlotte Sena went missing in Moreau State Park.\n\nFor more than 18 hours teams from @nyspolice, @NYstateparks Police, Forest Rangers, UAS, and URT have been searching the grounds.\n\nMy heart is with Charlotte's family and loved ones as the search continues.
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@Governor Kathy Hochul) 1696188454

The search underway

Jené Sena, an aunt of Sena, told USA Today that the past few days have been a "nightmare" for her family, adding that the girl's parents and over 30 family members are helping police in their search.

Trisha, Sena's mother, told the Albany Times Union her daughter is a "good kid" and "trusting," stressing, "I just want my daughter back."

The Sena family told NBC News in a statement, "We just want her returned safely like any parent would. No tip is too small, please call if you know anything at all."

Extra to bloodhounds, divers, forest rangers, air boats, and ATVs, police are utilizing drones and other technology in their sweep of the park.

In addition to on-the-ground efforts, police have also been working to trace cellphones utilized in the area around the time Sena went missing and gathering surveillance video, reported WCBS.

The Times Union reported that the FBI is now assisting the NYSP in the search.

As of early Monday, hundreds of personnel from various state agencies, including members of the Schenectady Fire Department, were reportedly combing the area for the girl.

FBI joins search for missing 9-year-old Charlotte Senayoutu.be

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Teens arrested after eating town's prized swan and kidnapping its babies from protected pond: Police

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A trio of teens in upstate New York devoured a town's beloved mother swan and stole its four-week-old babies on Memorial Day, according to police.

The town of Manlius' swan pond has been a safe haven for the elegant creatures since 1905. It is a place where townspeople have long fed and cared for the birds, including the late swan mother named Faye, owned by the village.

The Associated Press indicated that the swans' significance is evidenced by their inclusion in insignia on the town's website as well as in is identity.

Manlius Mayor Paul Whorrall said, "The swans have been a part of this village for well over 100 years. ... We’re known for our swans."

Manlius police Sgt. Ken Hatter noted, "The Village of Manlius is one of the only entities in New York that has a permit to have them housed, maintained, owned, and transport[ed], and they cannot be removed from their location legally."

Eighteen-year-old Eman Hussan and two other teens, ages 16 and 17, climbed the metal fence hemming in the pond and stole inside the preserve on Monday, sometime between midnight and 3 a.m., reported CNY Central.

The teens later claimed that they were "hunting," though poaching swans is illegal in the state.

The trio allegedly ambushed Faye as the swan was nesting, held it down, and savaged it. It died with neither a fight nor a song.

Police indicated that after widowing Faye's mate, Manny, the teens took the dead mother swan back to one of their residences along with its four cygnets.

Hatter said, "They brought it back to an aunt’s house and the aunt prepared it."

"The mother swan was consumed. ... Sad to say, but that's what they did," said Whorrall.

The Town of Manlius Police Department announced Tuesday that the four stole cygnets were found and placed in the care of the biologist tasked with ensuring the health and well-being of the swans for the village.

Two of the cygnets had been found along with two of the suspects at the Black Friday Bins, a store at the Shop City Plaza in the Town of Salina, where one of the teens was employed. The other two cygnets were located at a residence in Syracuse.

According to CNY Central, three of the suspects were charged with grand larceny in the third degree, a class D felony, conspiracy in the fifth degree, and criminal trespass in the third degree.

\u201cMANLIUS SWANS: This is Eman Hussan (18) being arrested yesterday by Manlius Police for killing Mama Faye and stealing her four babies. \n\nHis 16 and 17-year-old friends also facing charges. \n\nWe\u2019re learning disturbing new details. I\u2019ll have the latest at noon on @NewsChannel9 \u203c\ufe0f\u201d
— \ud835\udc00\ud835\udc1d\ud835\udc2b\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc27\ud835\udc27\ud835\udc1e \ud835\udc12\ud835\udc26\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc2d\ud835\udc21 (@\ud835\udc00\ud835\udc1d\ud835\udc2b\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc27\ud835\udc27\ud835\udc1e \ud835\udc12\ud835\udc26\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc2d\ud835\udc21) 1685548003

While the teens had jumped a fence to get into a protected swan pond known for its protected swans, Hatter said, "They did not know that it was a swan, and they did not know that it was not a wild animal, that it was actually owned by the Village of Manlius," reported the New York Post.

Whorrall noted that the swans have "been ours forever. And we will continue. The public needs to know that this is not ending. We will continue to have swans and hopefully, at some point get back to normal."

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'There are going to be lawsuits': Upstate New Yorkers react to gun bans in bear country



Residents of upstate New York are expressing concern and confusion over the state's newly enacted gun control laws, which severely curtail the right to carry firearms in areas deemed "sensitive locations," including state parks in the Adirondack mountains.

In late June, Democratic lawmakers rushed to pass new gun restrictions after the Supreme Court ruled that a 109-year-old New York law that required citizens to show proper cause to apply for a permit to carry concealed weapons was unconstitutional. On July 1, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed a bill establishing a long list of "sensitive locations" that have essentially become gun-free zones, including airports, houses of worship, government buildings, and parks.

The law makes it a felony crime to carry a firearm in these restricted locations starting on Sept. 1.

But New York hunters and communities living upstate in the nearly six million acres of forest preserve in the Adirondacks worry the new restrictions on carrying guns in parks means they'll no longer be able to hunt or participate in sporting events where they live.

"It pretty much means I've got to leave the firearm at home," said Rick Bennett, who owns the North Creek Trading Post, a store that sells firearms and fish tackle. Bennett was one of several upstate New Yorkers interviewed by Reuters who have expressed concerns about the new gun restrictions.

Others include people who run summer camps in Adirondack Park, a mountainous area covering one-fifth of the state of New York that is home to 130,000 people. They say that popular sporting rifle courses for children could now be a felony crime since the camps are considered "sensitive locations." Likewise, the annual biathlon at Mount Van Hoevenberg could be illegal since it mixes skiing with target shooting.

While New York's new gun law carries an exemption for people "lawfully engaged in hunting activity," deer season only lasts for a few weeks in the fall. Also, bears and other dangerous wildlife make the mountains and hiking trails their home. New Yorkers are wondering if it is a crime to carry a gun on a hike for protection.

Hochul's office has claimed the new law "changes nothing for lawful gun owners on both Forest Preserve and private lands within the blue line of the Adirondacks and Catskills."

"These areas are not considered ‘sensitive locations’ under the law," a spokesman for Hochul told Adirondack Explorer.

But lawmakers disagree. During legislative debate, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D), one of the gun bill's sponsors, said, "The parts of the Adirondack Park that are public would fall under the sensitive location criteria laid out here, but there are parts of the park, as you know, that are not public, that are private property, so this pertains to the public portions of that park.”

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, another Democratic bill sponsor, was also adamant that Adirondack Park is considered a sensitive location for purposes of the gun restrictions. He opposes a Republican amendment that would exclude Adirondack Park lands from the bill.

Gun rights groups who won at the Supreme Court in June say they'll continue to fight New York's gun control regime.

"I have gotten hundreds of calls from people from the Adirondacks," Tom King, president of the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, told Reuters.

"And all I can say is that there are going to be lawsuits."

Police arrest woman for allegedly driving 6 children around upstate New York to rip down Trump campaign signs



Sheriff's deputies arrested a woman for allegedly driving six children around upstate New York to rip down Trump campaign signs and those of other Republicans.

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office said that the deputies arrested 45-year-old Deana Algarin from Schenectady for allegedly using the minors to do her bidding.

The sheriff's office said that they were called to investigate the theft of the campaign signs for President Donald Trump's re-election campaign as well as those for Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican representing New York's 21st congressional district. The signs were stolen from people's homes in Tribes Hill and the Town of Amsterdam.

When New York State police pulled over Algarin, officers found campaign signs in her vehicle. Investigators believe she drove around six children to steal the signs.

The woman was charged with six counts of endangering the welfare of a child, criminal possession of stolen property, and petit larceny. Police also charged her for marijuana possession and seat-belt violations.

Vandalism as political expression

Trump signs and flags have frequently been the focus of politically motivated vandalism and assault.

In a startling incident from August, a Montana family said that a vandal ripped down their Trump flags and lit them on fire in their yard. They noted that the act could have easily caught their home on fire while their four children slept inside. The man was caught on their surveillance video.

In another bizarre incident in Florida, surveillance video captured a couple driving up to a home in a golf cart with their children inside. As the children pleaded for them to stop, the couple set up a ladder, ripped down a Trump flag and drove off with it. Police later arrested two doctors that they suspected may have committed the crime.

Here's more about one of the flag vandalism incidents:

This Montana family had their #Trump2020 flags burned in their yard as their children slept. The liberal mob isn'… https://t.co/uiV7VtwJTA
— Montana Republican Party (@Montana Republican Party)1598643604.0