Murders and shootings hit record lows in NYC for first 7 months of year, NYPD says
The NYPD has recorded the fewest murders and shootings in history during the first seven months of the year in New York City.
The new data released Monday morning shows murders were down 22.8% and shooting victims dropped 5.5% since 2025. There have been 462 shooting victims this year, beating the previous record low of 489 set in 2025.
The NYPD said July saw record lows for the month with the fewest shootings and victims since 2025 and the fewest murders since 2013.
Major crime was also down citywide in all of the crime categories for July. The Bronx continues to lead the city with the largest year-to-date decrease in major crime.
Police also recorded their safest start to the year in public housing with the fewest murders, shootings, shooting victims and robberies.
Safest Fourth of July ever recorded, police say
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch noted the record lows amid the numerous large-scale events hosted in the city this summer, including the Knicks in the NBA Finals, FIFA World Cup and the Fourth of July.
"Through it all, even as the demands on this department reached historic levels, the men and women of the NYPD delivered double-digit declines in major crime and record lows in violent crime across the city," she said in a statement.
The city saw the fewest shooting incidents ever recorded for any Fourth of July holiday, the NYPD said.
Transit, hate crime increase
On the subways, major crime increased by 1% since 2025 and by 10.9% in July. This was largely driven by felony assaults and nonviolent grand larcenies, such as pickpocketing, according to the report.
Rapes have increased by 3.6% since 2025. Police noted that this was driven largely by a law change that expanded the legal definition of rape, resulting in 28% of reported rapes happening before 2026. July saw a 7.1% decrease in reported rape incidents compared to the same month last year.
Hate crimes have also increased 9.4% compared to 2025. More than half of the confirmed hate crimes for the first seven months of the year were anti-Jewish hate crimes. Meanwhile, Jewish New Yorkers make up only 10% of the city's population, according to NYPD data.
