Crime on subways has become significantly more violent since the pandemic, with the number of felony assaults surging compared to pre-pandemic levels, a Post analysis found.
According to statistics, the number of train attacks in which victims were injured increased by 53%, from 570 serious assaults in 2023 to 373 reported in 2019.
According to the data, these 200 additional felony assaults accounted for just 15% of the 2,499 serious crimes reported in 2019, out of 2,285 serious crimes reported on trains and stations in 2023. , meaning assaults resulting in serious injury accounted for 25%.
Passenger numbers remain down about 30% compared to pre-pandemic levels. Estimates show that about 4 million people use the subway every weekday these days, compared to 5.5 million in the run-up to the arrival of the coronavirus and the lockdown.
The sudden increase in underground attacks, where victims are injured and require medical treatment, comes as homicides on public transport are on the rise.
According to the analysis, there were three underground murders in 2019, 10 in 2022 and five in 2023.
According to the data, there have already been three murders in the first three months of 2024.
Absent a spike in assaults, overall transit crime rates would be roughly in line with crime rates seen underground before the pandemic, adjusting for ridership.
The spike in violence has left police and criminal justice experts baffled, with no clear explanation as to what is driving the disturbing trend.
Christopher Herman, an associate professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York, said, “The situation is different, the situation has changed,” and he hypothesizes that the effects of the prolonged coronavirus pandemic may be at play. erected.
“When the PD is there, things go well. But when they’re not there, the numbers go up, there are high-profile incidents, and that creates fear of crime. ”
The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.
“We have full confidence in the NYPD to keep New Yorkers safe on the road, and the addition of 1,000 officers has significantly reduced crime over the past six weeks,” MTA spokeswoman Joanna Flores said in a statement. I did,” he said.
Felony assault cases were surprisingly stable before the pandemic, but then skyrocketed before plateauing at more than 550, the numbers show.
In 2018, there were 375 cases, just two more than in 2019. According to the data, in 2017 there were 340 cases.
As the city reopened after vaccinations, the number of underground assaults skyrocketed. Subways recorded 466 felony assaults in 2021 as riders trickled back. According to the data, it jumped to 556 cases in 2022 and then gradually increased again in 2023.
“Decrease in passenger numbers [created] “In an environment where there are fewer witnesses, you see perpetrators become bolder and a permission structure develops,” said one veteran officer. “There are systemic problems such as lack of staffing, recruitment, and training; punitive legislation by local and state governments; and a lack of mental health resources, a lack of social support services.”
The officer added: “All of these things are leading to an increase in violence. It’s never just one thing.”
The number of assaults against MTA employees on trains and stations and against police officers patrolling the system has also skyrocketed. In 2023, 100 police officers and 60 transit workers were assaulted within the system. Both numbers were a significant increase from 2019, when 71 police officers and 32 transit workers were assaulted.
Earlier this month, the newspaper obtained documents showing that of the 41 assault cases against MTA employees resolved in 2023, more than half of the suspects arrested had a history of mental illness.
Additionally, the newspaper reported that before the recent crime spike, the number of underground patrols had dropped significantly after the NYPD spent $60 million in overtime money it received from Gov. Kathy Hochul to increase its underground presence. It was also revealed that
The debate over subway crime continues, with some focusing on recent murders and opponents arguing that subways are safer than the city as a whole, with too much attention given to individual attacks. I am dissatisfied with this.
The newspaper’s investigation into underground crime began after three people were murdered underground in just three weeks. In a headline-grabbing incident, a conductor was slashed on a night train in Brooklyn, followed by a shutdown in protest of safety concerns by the MTA’s largest union. Hochul’s decision to deploy the National Guard has caused controversy.
Mayor Adams orders police officers to work extra hours to increase patrols as crime numbers rise and may consider expanding NYPD traffic division staffing as crime numbers soar (The number decreases due to a sudden increase in police presence, but then increases again.)
“I feel like people are deterred because they have to be there in some way,” John Jay’s Herman said. “They feel like, ‘We may not have a lot of police, but if we do something, we’re going to get caught.'”
He added: “When the police are in the system, crime goes down, but when the police are not in the system, crime goes up again.”
