NYC subway crime plummeted in the first month of 2025 as congestion pricing became active and ridership surged, according to the latest NYPD transit data released Monday.
January saw 147 incidents of major crime on the subway, down from 231 in January 2024, accounting for over 36% fewer crimes committed on the rails this year.
The downward trend occurred even as more New Yorkers commuted by subway after the start of congestion pricing on Jan. 5.
According to data on the New York State website, subway ridership has increased on most days since congestion pricing began on Jan. 5 — often in the hundreds of thousands of additional commuters daily.
Diving deeper into the crime data, all major felonies on the trains remained the same or dropped significantly when comparing last month to January 2024 — which saw a dramatic transit crime spike that led to increased police presence in the system.
There were no murders on the subways in January this year, compared to 1 murder in January 2024. The trains experienced 28 robberies last month versus 51 in January 2024, accounting for a remarkable 45.1% drop.
Felony assaults were down more than 18%, while burglaries plummeted 50% last month compared to the same period last year. Grand larceny decreased by more than 40% during the same time comparison.
There were no rapes committed on the trains in January 2025 or January 2024, according to the data. The number of hate crimes on the rails remained the same for both years, for a total of eight incidents, from Jan. 1 to Feb. 9.
Reasons for the decline in crime
The state and city have not been shy about focusing more on subway safety throughout much of 2024 and well into 2025. Officials have attributed the decline in crime to a number of factors, including the massive surge of 1,200 additional NYPD officers into the subway system, as well as an additional 300 officers patrolling overnight trains.
NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch implemented a multi-prong crime-fighting initiative for the subways in January 2025, including redirecting police officers from turnstiles and mezzanines to subway platforms and railcars, where she said most transit crimes occur.
Her initiative also focused on a crackdown of quality-of-life issues, such as drinking and smoking on trains and platforms. On a recent subway ride, amNewYork Metro witnessed officers issuing at least two people on a 7 train mezzanine summonses for drinking alcohol in the station.
“It’s critical that New Yorkers feel safe on our subways, and that’s why I deployed a three-part plan to address problems on the trains,” Tisch said in a statement to amNewYork Metro. Our efforts are working – NYPD officers are highly visible on trains and in stations, and transit crime is down double-digits across the city. Mayor Adams and I will continue these efforts to keep crime down and ensure that everyone feels safe on the subway.”
Mayor Eric Adams highlighted the importance of enforcing quality-of-life laws in order to help prevent subway crime.
“Public safety is the prerequisite to prosperity, and our transit crime continuing to plummet proves that our comprehensive approach to combating crime and improving quality of life is not only working — it’s driving real, measurable progress,” the mayor said in a statement.
He also said having a strong police presence within the depths of the transit system is a key factor in driving down crime.
“NYPD Commissioner Tisch and I have deployed over 1,200 additional NYPD officers into the subway system, as well as 300 officers to patrol subway trains overnight, and we remain committed to ensuring that New Yorkers aren’t just safe but feel safe, too,” the mayor added. “While others advocate for defunding the police, we’ve defended them, and this is just one of countless examples of why New Yorkers want more policing, not less.”
Despite the good-news report, police are still investigating several notable crimes, including two that made headlines last month.
On Jan. 27, a 16-year-old boy was on a 6 train platform when two male perps allegedly robbed him at gunpoint. And on Jan. 1, a man was stabbed while riding a southbound 1 train.
Both incidents occurred before the NYPD added more cops to the overnight train patrol.
Fare evasion
The MTA said it has made strides in the battle against fare evasion.
During a Monday meeting of the NYC Transit and Bus committee at MTA headquarters, officials reported a steep decline in of the ongoing scourge over the previous six months.
From June 2024 to Dec. 2024, subway fare evasion decreased from 14% to 10%. Across the local and express bus network, fare evasion decreased from 50% of riders evading the fare during the summer months of 2024 to 45% by the end of the year.
Part of the subway fare evasion decline is the result of the agency’s anti back-cocking initiative, which has been installed into 80% of turnstiles throughout the system. Back-cocking is the act of pulling a turnstile arm back in such a way that a person can fit through without having to pay.
Back-cocking prevention is just one of several recent initiatives the MTA has implemented to fight fare evasion. The agency also added half-moon “fins” on turnstile arms and spiked barriers to prevent people from jumping turnstiles.
Read More: https://www.amny.com/nyc-transit/
