New York, NY – New York City is seeing record-breaking drops in crime, with police officials announcing Wednesday that the first nine months of 2025 produced the fewest shooting incidents and shooting victims in the city’s history. The third quarter was also the safest on record in the subway system, with major transit crime hitting all-time lows in July, August, and September, excluding pandemic years.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch credited the department’s precision policing strategy, which she said combined aggressive gang takedowns, gun seizures, and data-driven deployments in high-crime areas. “This is not a coincidence — it’s the result of an unprecedented, data-driven deployment of thousands of officers to the areas they are needed most,” Tisch said.
Citywide, shooting incidents are down more than 20 percent this year, with 553 cases compared to 693 in 2024. Shooting victims dropped 19 percent to 694, the lowest level ever recorded. In the Bronx, shootings fell by 25 percent in the last quarter, Staten Island by 20 percent, Manhattan by nearly 19 percent, and Queens by 17 percent. Brooklyn saw a slight increase of two incidents.
The NYPD’s Summer Violence Reduction Plan, which deployed up to 2,300 officers nightly across 72 zones in 59 communities, helped drive the declines. Over 19 weeks, shootings in those zones dropped 47 percent and victims fell 44 percent. Detectives also carried out a record 55 gang takedowns and seized more than 4,175 illegal guns this year.
Transit crime fell 13.7 percent in the third quarter, marking the safest quarter ever underground. Shooting incidents in the subway dropped 67 percent year-to-date. Major crimes across the city also posted declines, including murders down nearly 18 percent, robberies down 9.8 percent, burglary down 3.8 percent, and retail theft down 13 percent.
Mayor Eric Adams said the numbers reflect two consecutive years of overall crime reductions and credited the NYPD for restoring confidence in public safety. “New York City remains the safest big city in America,” Adams said.
From the streets to the subways, the city closed summer with historic declines that officials vow to carry into the fall.
