NYC sees fewest murders in recorded history for first 4 months of the year, NYPD says

Murders in New York City hit a record low for the first four months of 2026, the NYPD said Monday. It comes amid a citywide drop in major crime of 9.5%, police said. 

During the first four months of the year, there were 76 murders, the NYPD said. That beats the previous record low of 86 during the same period in 2018. Staten Island has had no murders at all so far this year, according to the NYPD. 

As for April, there were 19 murders citywide that month, beating the record of 21 set in 2014 and 2017. That means last month saw the fewest murders for any April ever in New York City. The number of shootings also plunged by 18.6% compared to April of last year, and there were 19.3% fewer shooting victims as well. 

All in all, there were 9,157 major crimes citywide in April, down from 10,114 during the same month last year. That includes burglaries, auto theft, robberies and more. Retail theft dropped in April by 17.7% compared to last year. Hate crimes were down by 35.1%. 

Transit crime is down by .6% year-to-date, the NYPD said, though in April it ticked up by 1.2%, with 173 incidents, compared to 171 in April of last year. 

Reports of rape increased by 10.1% year-over-year. The NYPD says that has to do, in part, with a legislative change made in 2024 that broadened the legal definition of rape to include additional forms of sexual assault. 

"Once again, the crime reductions across the five boroughs are a direct result of our precision-policing strategy: focusing on illegal guns, putting officers where they're needed most, and taking down violent gangs," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. "These results are made possible by the women and men of the NYPD carrying out that work with focus and discipline. That approach is producing real, measurable crime reductions across the city, and it will continue to guide our work in the months ahead."