MTA reports drop in NYC subway crime, but rider safety concerns persist
NEW YORK - During an MTA Safety Committee meeting on Monday, officials highlighted a significant decrease in major crimes in the New York City subway system, according to the latest stats released by the NYPD.
The statistics revealed a 15% drop in major crime this past June, compared to the same period last year.
In June 2023, there were 203 major crimes committed, while this June saw only 172.
"What's even more remarkable is that the robberies recorded in 2024 is the lowest in recorded NYPD history, going back to pre-merger, which is the mid-90s," said NYPD Chief of Transit Michael Kemper.
Year-to-date figures from January 1 through the third week of July also show an 8% drop in major crimes compared to the same period last year, with a notable 23% decrease in robberies.
MTA Board Member Norman Brown lauded the latest crime numbers, especially compared to the daily ridership of the subway system.
"It seems like it's, like, the safest place in New York," Brown said.
Do NYC subway riders feel safer?
Both Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD officials have said making the subways safer by the numbers is different from making riders feel safe.
Just a day before Monday's meeting, a woman was stabbed four times in the abdomen by a panhandler she had refused at the Jamaica-Van Wyck station in Queens. The woman remains hospitalized.
Woman stabbed repeatedly inside Queens subway station
A woman was stabbed multiple times in the torso on the mezzanine level inside a Queens subway station, police said.
On July 17, a woman riding the subway was punched in the face by another woman who had begun yelling anti-Asian slurs onboard a Q train.
Last week, the NYPD unveiled its first AI-powered weapons scanners at subway stations, part of a new effort to keep guns out of the subway, but the new program is still in the experimental phase and is already being challenged by civil liberties advocates.
"City officials have admitted that these scanners are primarily to combat some riders’ ‘perceptions’ that they are unsafe on the subway — this is not a justifiable basis to violate the Constitution," said NYCLU attorney Daniel Lambright.
Riders who spoke to FOX 5 NY said that despite the good news, their concerns about subway safety remain.
"Watch where you're going. Always look over your shoulder. Never keep both headphones in your ears because you never know what's going on around you," one rider said.
Officials acknowledge that while the drop in crime is encouraging, more work is needed to enhance safety in the subway system. Proposed measures include adding more security cameras and addressing fare evasion.