SUFFOLK COUNTY, New York (WABC) — An 11-year-old girl was kidnapped from her Queens school and taken to a Long Island residence after being targeted by a 28-year-old man on gaming app Discord, Suffolk County prosecutors allege.
Accused kidnapper Nicholas Wieber, 28, of Bay Shore, has now been indicted on charges including kidnapping.
Investigators say that Wieber allegedly began communicating with the child on Discord in early December.
Discord is a free communication app often used by children to coordinate and play video games.
Wieber’s messages to the child quickly turned sexual, prosecutors allege.
On December 12, 2025, the little girl went to school in Queens, but when her mother went to the bus stop to pick her up at the end of the day, she was nowhere to be found.
The child’s mom called school friends to try to find her daughter, learning that her child had supposedly been picked up by an older man.
The mother immediately contacted the NYPD, who involved Suffolk police after their investigation led to Wieber’s address.
Suffolk police say they found the child in Wieber’s bed.
Wieber was arrested at the scene, and thankfully the child was reunited with her family.
The “vigilance, skill, and determination (of investigators) ensured the child was found safely and returned to her parents without delay,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Tierney.
“Due to their outstanding investigative work, we were able to swiftly secure an indictment and begin holding the offender accountable,” Tierney added.
On January 9, 2026, Wieber was arraigned on the indictment before Supreme Court Justice Richard Ambro for Kidnapping in the First Degree, a Class A-I felony, Kidnapping in the Second Degree, a Class B felony, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a Class A misdemeanor.
Justice Ambro ordered Wieber held on $250,000 cash, $500,000 bond, or $2.5 million partially secured bond during the pendency of the case.
Wieber is due back in court on February 17, 2026, and faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted on the top count.
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