Mayor Zohran Mamdani Joins Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Governor Kathy Hochul to Announce Safest Year Ever for Gun Violence, with Fewest Shooting Incidents and Shooting Victims in Recorded History Safest Year on the Subway System Since 2009 Outside the Pandemic Years, Fewest Transit Robberies Ever New York, New York – Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch today announced that the NYPD delivered the safest year ever for gun violence in 2025, with the fewest shooting incidents and shooting victims in recorded history. In December, New York City experienced the fewest shooting incidents in any month ever in recorded history. The NYPD also delivered safety records below ground on the subway, driving transit robberies to the lowest level of all time and making the subway the safest it’s been since 2009, outside of the pandemic years. In addition to the record-low shootings, the NYPD’s precision policing strategy resulted in significant reductions in overall crime, including 1,600 fewer robberies than last year and a 14% decline in retail theft. Record-Lows for Shooting Incidents and Victims, Shattering Previous Records In 2025, New York City recorded 688 shooting incidents, shattering the previous record set in 2018 by 10% (688 vs. 754) with 66 fewer shootings. Compared to 2024, shooting incidents declined by 24% (688 vs. 904), a staggering 216 fewer shootings. In the fourth quarter, shooting incidents were down more than 36% (134 vs. 211) compared to the same period last year. In December, there were only 35 shooting incidents citywide — the fewest shootings ever recorded in any single month in history. For comparison, Chicago — a city of roughly 3 million people — recorded more than 1,400 shooting incidents over the same period, more than double New York City’s total, despite having roughly one-third of the population. Philadelphia— with a population of 1.5 million people — recorded more than 825 shooting incidents, while having less than one-fifth of New York City’s population. The number of people shot in New York City also fell to a historic low in 2025 with 856 shooting victims citywide, shattering the previous 2018 record by nearly 5% (856 vs. 897) with 41 fewer victims. Compared to 2024, shooting victims declined by 22% (856 vs. 1,103), a stunning 247 fewer people shot. In the fourth quarter, shooting victims fell by more than 34% (161 vs. 246), with December posting the lowest victim totals ever recorded. The historic decline reflected a citywide effort, with reductions across all five boroughs in 2025. Shooting incidents declined by 38% in Manhattan, 26.7% in Staten Island, 25.4% in the Bronx, 24.4% in Queens, and 15% in Brooklyn. Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island each recorded their lowest number of shooting incidents in city history. The NYPD’s work to remove guns from the streets and take down the most dangerous gangs also helped achieve historic lows in shootings. Last year, officers seized more than 5,293 illegal guns and NYPD detectives carried out 70 gang-related takedowns, getting the most dangerous criminals off the streets and out of our communities. Reductions in Major Crime Across All Five Boroughs In addition to addressing gun violence, the NYPD successfully drove down major crime by implementing a data-driven, precision policing strategy that resulted in consistent declines throughout the entire year. The department deployed an unprecedented number of officers assigned to nightly foot posts to areas with high crime across precincts, public housing, and the subway system. This targeted strategy led to a 3% (121,542 vs. 125,026) decline in major crime in 2025. Across the city, murder declined by 20.2% (305 vs. 382), with 77 fewer murders compared to 2024. In December, murders fell to 15 citywide, down nearly 38% (15 vs. 24) from 2024. Alongside those reductions, the NYPD’s Detective Bureau maintained a murder clearance rate of 69% in 2025. Murders also decreased in four out of the five boroughs. On Staten Island, murders fell by more than 60% in 2025, including zero murders in December. Manhattan was down 33%, Brooklyn was down 24%, and the Bronx was down 18%. In Queens, murders increased slightly by 7%. Citywide, robberies declined by nearly 10% (15,065 vs. 16,696), with 1,600 fewer incidents compared to last year. For the month of December, robberies declined by 15% (1,039 vs 1,224). Burglary dropped nearly 4% (12,777 vs. 13,301), marking the third consecutive year of declines. In December, burglary decreased by more than 15% (1,017 vs. 1,201) and by 9.9% (3,168 vs. 3,518) in the fourth quarter. Auto theft decreased by 5% (13,520 vs. 14,233) citywide in 2025, with a nearly 8% (3,127 vs. 3,386) drop in the fourth quarter compared to 2024.
See full press release here: nyc.gov
1 Police Plaza Lower Manhattan January 6, 2026
Sources: NYC.gov , Big New York news BigNY.com
