Murders and shootings in New York City have remained at historic lows this year, but hate crimes — particularly antisemitic incidents — are rising across the five boroughs, according to newly released NYPD crime statistics.
Police reported that hate crimes increased by nearly 13% during the first nine months of the year compared with the same period in previous years. Anti-Jewish incidents made up more than half of the total, clouding otherwise strong crime figures showing that major offenses have continued to decline in recent years.
The troubling data emerged as a new poll found that more than half of New York City’s Jewish voters are worried about their safety. Forty-two percent said they have been verbally harassed.
“Half of Jews saying they feel unsafe is an alarming figure,” said Bradley Honan, CEO of the Honan Strategy Group, which conducted the poll. “Fifty-five percent of Jewish voters say it has gotten worse since October 7th.”
The survey also found that Jewish New Yorkers have altered their daily routines in an effort to avoid potential confrontations or harassment.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who is Jewish, highlighted the trend while announcing the department’s latest figures. “The most striking trend continues to be antisemitic hate crimes,” she told reporters.
“Throughout this year, 53% of all confirmed hate crimes have targeted Jewish New Yorkers, despite Jews making up only roughly 10 percent of the city’s population,” she said.
“Those numbers are deeply concerning,” Tisch added. “On the eve of the third anniversary of Oct. 7th, we renew our pledge to Jewish institutions that they will not be left to protect themselves without a strong partner in the NYPD.”
The NYPD recorded 463 hate crimes through the end of September, compared with 410 during the same period last year. Of those incidents, 245 — nearly 53% — were classified as anti-Jewish, the data show.
The figures reflect a pattern that has become increasingly familiar: While major crimes have declined in recent years, hate crimes and antisemitic incidents have continued to edge upward, especially since Hamas’ terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the Israeli assault on Gaza that followed.
Fifty-nine percent of Jewish voters surveyed said they now feel unsafe attending public protests, twice the rate reported by non-Jewish voters.
Half of the respondents also said they consider it unsafe to wear a kippah or display a Star of David.
The poll found that 40% of Jewish voters believe college campuses are unsafe for Jews, while 57% said they feel safe there.
One in four Jewish respondents said they had concealed their Jewish identity online or at work. Another 36% said they had stopped wearing Jewish symbols, according to the survey.
One-third of Jewish voters said they had either witnessed or personally experienced an antisemitic incident in the five boroughs during the past year. That was nearly three times the 12% rate reported by non-Jewish voters, according to Honan.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani, citing the latest NYPD statistics, said gender-based crimes rose 122% during the first nine months of the year. Anti-Hispanic crimes increased 83.3%, while anti-Muslim crimes climbed 77.8%.
The hate crime numbers cast a shadow over what has otherwise been a notably strong NYPD performance, with department statistics showing that New York’s five boroughs have become safer in several key categories.
Police recorded 73 murders so far this year, down nearly 20% from the 91 reported during the same period last year. The figure also broke the record low of 215 murders for the period, set in 2017.
Shootings fell to 167 from 216, while the number of shooting victims declined from 297 to 213 — a 28% drop, according to the statistics.
The nine-month shooting total set a new record low, surpassing the previous mark established in 2025. The number of gunshot victims also beat the previous low recorded in 2018 and matched last year’s figure.
Meanwhile, burglaries dropped to 8,316 from 9,636 in the same period compared to last year, a 13.7% dip, robberies were down to 10,080 from 11,478, or nearly 14%, auto theft decreased to 9,110 compared to 10,394, for a 12.2% drop, and auto thefts were down nearly 6%, to 33,939 from 36,033.
Also down were crimes in public housing, which dipped 6.5%.
Subway crimes, which have long been a serious concern for straphangers, edged up slightly by 0.9%, to 1,628 reported incidents this year compared to 1,613 last year.
The only two other blemishes on the numbers were a slight 0.2% increase in felony assaults, or 22,781 this year compared to 22,726 last year, and 3.7% increase in rapes — 1,594 this year compared to 1,537 last year, a blip that cops attribute to a recently expanded definition of rape under state law.
