Neighbors saw buildup of law enforcement before girl's alleged abductor was arrested
Residents "Charlene" and her daughter, "Briella," who asked to keep their last names anonymous because they live near the suspect, Craig Ross Jr., talk about how the event shook their lives.
MILTON, New York – It was "a scene right out of a movie" as Charlotte Sena was rescued in a stunning scene Monday night, neighbors said.
"SWAT trucks and cop cars were here in seconds, guns out. There was a rapid succession of at least five flash-bangs," said "Michael," who lives near Craig Ross Jr., the man charged with kidnapping 9-year-old Charlotte from a New York state park over the weekend.
Law enforcement officers rescued Charlotte from a cabinet in Ross Jr.'s trailer behind his mother's property in Milton, state officials said. Michael's wife, "Erica," said she "grabbed my kids to hide them in the basement" as officers stormed in.
"At first, I saw two cars pull up on my grass, and as I’m coming out to yell [to] get off the grass, police jump out with tactical gear and vests," Erica said. "And just like that, at least 15 SWAT trucks and police cars are all over the house, at least 30 officers, full gear, guns. The flash-bangs were right outside my bedroom. The concern was more, what if he runs into our yard and takes my kids or us as hostages?
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This timeline shows the events leading to the recovery of Charlotte Sena in New York. (Google Maps)
"During the raid, I caught a glimpse of her face, and I said, ‘That’s her. She’s in there.’ And then I saw her getting wheeled into the ambulance. I just wanted to hug her and hold her until her mom came to get her and tell her she’s safe. She became like everyone’s child. Everyone in the area loves her and wanted her to come home. And the police did, too. You can see and hear them exhale. They were high-fiving with smiles. It was an amazing outcome."
A few hours before the raid, a couple of idling police cars seemed somewhat out of place at the mouth of a street leading to a cul-de-sac in the Senas' neighborhood in Greenfield, residents said.
It was shortly before 6 p.m. Monday when "Charlene" and her oldest daughter, "Briella," 11, noticed the police activity about 200 yards to the right of their home.
At that point, they did not know that Charlotte was allegedly being held against her will by Ross Jr. five minutes away in the other direction.
As time passed, they saw an ambulance. Then a helicopter circled overhead. Finally, a convoy of law enforcement vehicles, including state police and FBI, rolled through their neighborhood and stopped on the street near their home.
This image shows Charlotte Sena in the clothing she was wearing when she vanished in Moreau Lake State Park on Sept. 30, 2023. (Police handout)
"Then you just knew," Charlene told Fox News Digital Monday night. "They found Charlotte."
The little girl had been missing since Saturday when Ross Jr. allegedly abducted her from Moreau Lake State Park – a popular, 4,600-acre camping site nestled between Lake George and Saratoga Springs – where she was staying with her family.
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New York State Police check vehicles for Charlotte Sena, who was on a family outing in Moreau Lake State Park when she went missing Saturday evening, as officials conducted a search in Gansevoort on Monday. (Hans Pennink for Fox News Digital)
Law enforcement in full tactical gear blasted through a camper behind Ross Jr.'s mother's double-wide trailer and found Charlotte in a cabinet, Gov. Kathy Hochul said during a press conference Monday night.
"They had what they call a ‘dynamic entry,’ a tactical maneuver, and within the camper they located the suspect. After some resistance, the suspect was taken into custody, and immediately the little girl was found in a cabinet, covered. She was rescued," Hochul said.
"And she knew she was being rescued. And she knew that she was in safe hands."
This view shows a campsite on Loop A where Charlotte Sena was on a family outing in Moreau Lake State Park, New York, when she went missing Saturday evening. (Hans Pennink for Fox News Digital)
No details about Sena's condition were released, but the governor said there does not appear to be "outward harm," and state police said she is "in good health."
The girl is recovering and being evaluated in a hospital.
Her aunt, Jene Sena, told Fox News Digital in a text: "We are just elated she came home."
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks during a press conference on Oct. 2, 2023, with regard to the disappearance of Charlotte Sena, who went missing Saturday evening and was found safe on Monday. (Hans Pennink for Fox News Digital)
Sense of safety robbed from a community
Sena's missing-persons case seized the region like a bear in a trap and robbed some families in the community of their sense of safety.
Charlene stopped letting her oldest daughter ride her bike or take the bus since news broke of the abduction, and she has been scared to let her two younger daughters play outside their own home.
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"When I found out how close it was to me, it really hit home," Charlene said. "My oldest is 11 and my youngest is 5, and they ride through this part all the time."
"Now it makes me more suspicious of everybody because you're going on a bike ride, and you're that close to your family, and you're just gone in an instant."
New York Sate Police search for Charlotte Sena, who was on a family outing in Moreau Lake State Park when she vanished Saturday evening, in Gansevoort, New York, on Monday. (Hans Pennink for Fox News Digital)
Search teams look for Charlotte Sena along the Moreau Lake State Park boundary in Gansevoort, New York, on Monday. (Hans Pennink for Fox News Digital)
Charlene was referring to Sena, who had been riding her bike close to her family's campsite when she was snatched on "Loop A," which is easily accessible from Old Saratoga Road.
Only a rusted, brittle fence about chest-high that can easily be stomped on separates the park from that section of the campsite.
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Charlene said she has not seen the suspect in person but the thought of him living under her family's nose for years is terrifying.
"If he's a predator, it's a hunting ground for him. He could've been riding around this part when my kids were out," she said.
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Safety and this type of alleged, brazen crime is not usually a concern for the typically serene setting near the Hudson River, residents near the state park told Fox News Digital.
Around the corner from the alleged abduction site, "Phil" and "Gail" have lived with their dogs in a beautiful home and take advantage of the scenery.
Gail likes to go for walks along the lake, and Phil likes to fish.
"Nothing like this has ever happened. It's very quiet," Phil said as a large group of rescue searchers walked by their home.
"It's scary now," Phil said. "The whole world is going to hell."
This map shows the search area for 9-year-old Charlotte Sena. (NY Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation)
There was nowhere in the area to escape the crime. Seemingly everyone for miles knew about the case and were on edge. Flyers were posted all over gas stations, stores and food establishments while dozens of digital signs about an Amber Alert lined several major highways between New York City and Saratoga County, which is about 45 miles north of Albany.
By Monday afternoon, the search effort swelled from 100 to 400 people. Searchers told Fox News Digital on Monday afternoon that the park's terrain vastly varies, including steep elevations and brush so dense they had to split the shrubbery with every step.
At least a half dozen checkpoints were set up all around the park, where New York state troopers stopped every vehicle, checked trunks and asked for information.
State police search for Charlotte Sena, who disappeared during a family outing in Moreau Lake State Park on Saturday, in Gansevoort, New York, on Monday. (Hans Pennink for Fox News Digital)
This case hit Briella, who is only two years older than Charlotte and has a sister who is one year younger than her, particularly hard.
"I was only thinking about [Charlotte]," she said. "Through school, that's all I was thinking about. I couldn't get anything on top of my mind. I was just praying and hoping she was OK because she's just a little girl."
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At her young age, if she was in Sena's position, Briella said all she would be able to think about is: "Is anyone looking for me? Am I ever going to get back home?"
Charlene said she taught her girls to be safety conscious even before Sena's case rocked the area, and she uses safety code words that only her girls know.
An Amber Alert sign for Charlotte Sena is seen on Route 87 as officials searched for her in Gansevoort, New York, on Monday. (Hans Pennink for Fox News Digital)
Done in by his own ransom note
Ross Jr. allegedly left a ransom note in the Sena family's mailbox around 4:20 a.m. Monday, Hochul said.
Police traced the fingerprints on the note to Ross Jr.'s 1999 DWI arrest in Saratoga County and identified him as the suspect within 10 hours, according to the governor.
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Hochul said most stories do not end like this, but "Charlotte will be going home."
"I'm happy we have a positive outcome," Charlene said as she smiled to her daughter.
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