Despite New York City seeing an overall drop in murders and shootings this year, there has been a troubling surge in hate crimes, particularly antisemitic incidents, according to new data from the NYPD.
Police reported that hate crimes have risen nearly 13% during the first nine months of the year compared to previous years, with incidents targeting Jewish individuals making up over half of the total. This increase contrasts sharply with the city’s generally improving crime statistics across other major crime categories.
Further compounding the issue, a recent poll indicated that more than half of Jewish voters in the city feel unsafe, with a notable 42% reporting experiences of verbal harassment.
“It’s concerning that half of the Jewish community feels unsafe,” remarked Bradley Honan, CEO of Honan Strategy Group, who conducted the poll. “Fifty-five percent of Jewish voters believe things have worsened since October 7th.”
The survey revealed that some Jewish residents have altered their daily habits to steer clear of potential conflicts.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, herself Jewish, emphasized the alarming trend of antisemitic hate crimes during a press briefing on the new crime statistics. “Over the past year, Jewish New Yorkers have faced 53% of all confirmed hate crimes, even though they constitute only about 10 percent of the city’s total population,” she stated.
“These figures are deeply troubling,” Tisch added, reiterating the NYPD’s commitment to supporting Jewish institutions and ensuring they feel safe with a strong law enforcement presence.
By the end of September, the police recorded 463 hate crimes, compared to 410 in the same timeframe last year, with 245, or nearly 53%, identified as anti-Jewish incidents. This trend of rising hate crimes occurs against a backdrop of declining major crimes in recent years—especially following the escalation of conflict in the region since the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023.
A significant 59% of Jewish voters believe public protests are unsafe for them, which is double the rate of their non-Jewish counterparts. Additionally, half of those surveyed said they find it unsafe to wear symbols like the kippah or Star of David.
The poll also indicated that 40% of Jewish voters feel college campuses are unsafe for members of their community, although 57% believe they are safe. Alarmingly, 25% of Jewish individuals admitted to concealing their identity online or at work, while 36% have stopped wearing Jewish symbols altogether.
About one in three Jewish voters noted they have witnessed or personally experienced an antisemitic event in the city within the last year, which is nearly three times the reported rate among non-Jewish voters.
In terms of broader crime statistics, Mayor Zohran Mamdani highlighted that gender-based crimes increased by 122% in the first nine months of the year, with anti-Hispanic crimes rising 83.3% and anti-Muslim crimes up 77.8%.
These concerning numbers overshadow an otherwise remarkable safety record from the NYPD. This year, the city recorded 73 murders, reflecting nearly a 20% decrease from the 91 reported during the same period last year, setting a record low for this time frame.
In terms of shootings, incidents decreased to 167 from 216, while shooting victims fell from 297 to 213, showcasing a 28% reduction. These figures are the lowest recorded since 2025 and parallel last year’s counts in terms of gunshot victims.
Meanwhile, burglaries dipped to 8,316 from 9,636, representing a 13.7% decline. Robberies also decreased from 11,478 to 10,080, nearly a 14% drop, while auto theft dropped to 9,110 from 10,394, a 12.2% decrease. Auto theft, in general, reduced nearly 6%, going down to 33,939 from 36,033.
There was a slight uptick in crimes in public housing, which rose by 6.5%. Subway-related incidents, a long-standing concern for commuters, increased marginally by 0.9% to 1,628 this year, slightly higher than last year’s 1,613 reported incidents.
The only other notable increases were minor, with felony assaults rising 0.2% to 22,781 and rapes increasing by 3.7% to 1,594—an uptick attributed by police to a recently broadened definition of rape under state legislation.
