NYPD ANNOUNCES FEWEST MURDERS, SHOOTING INCIDENTS IN RECORDED HISTORY FOR FIRST THREE MONTHS OF THE YEAR

April 2, 2026

Major Crime Declined 5.3% Citywide, Led by the Bronx with 9.4% Decrease in Major Crime

Burglaries Dropped 20.6% to the Second-Lowest Level in Recorded History

Safest Start to the Year in Public Housing in Recorded History with Fewest Murders, Shooting Incidents, Shooting Victims, and Robberies

New York, New York – Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch today announced that the NYPD delivered the fewest murders and shooting incidents for the first quarter of the year in recorded history. During the first three months of 2026, there were 54 murders in New York City, beating the previous all-time low of 60 murders set in 2018. The city recorded 139 shooting incidents in the first quarter, tying the all-time low of 139 set in 2025, the safest year in recorded history for gun violence.

Major crime continued to fall, down 5.3% citywide, led by the Bronx, which saw a 9.4% decrease. Burglary dropped 20.6% year-to-date, falling to the second-lowest level in recorded history. These historic reductions extended to the city’s public housing developments, where the NYPD delivered the safest start to any year in recorded history with the fewest murders, shooting incidents, shooting victims, and robberies. 

“Three months into 2026, the NYPD continues to build on the historic progress we saw last year and drive down crime across New York City,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “Citywide, major crime dropped with over 1,400 fewer reported crimes compared to 2025, murders and shootings reached their lowest levels ever recorded for a first quarter, and our public housing developments had the safest start to the year for gun violence in history. These results are driven by our precision policing strategy to go after guns, take down violent gangs, and put officers on foot posts where they are needed most. I thank the women and men of this department who take this strategy and relentlessly turn it into action on the ground.”

“The data we are releasing today should be encouraging to every New Yorker. The numbers tell a clear, indisputable story: our approach to public safety is working,” said Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani. “These numbers speak to an NYPD using every lever at its disposal to deliver a safer New York City to all who call it home.”

Driving Major Crime Down to Record-Lows

The NYPD continues to combat violent crime and shootings through its Winter Violence Reduction Plan, which deploys up to 1,800 uniformed officers on nightly foot posts across 64 zones in 34 precincts, public housing, and the subway system. Since launching in January, major crime is down 23.2% (596 vs. 776) and shootings are down 63.6% (8 vs.22) in the zones during deployment hours.

Citywide, overall major crime fell 5.3% (25,582 vs. 27,003) with 1,421 fewer reported crimes compared to 2025. Year-to-date, major crime is down in all five boroughs, led by the Bronx, which is down 9.4% (6,298 vs. 6,950) resulting in a staggering 650 fewer reported crimes. Last year, the NYPD delivered the safest year in recorded history for gun violence. The city is now on pace with that historic low, tying the record with 139 shooting incidents in the first quarter. Shooting victims are also tied at 163 compared to last year, the second fewest ever, only two behind the 161 victims recorded in 2017. Driving these numbers are the NYPD’s work to remove guns from streets and take down the most dangerous gangs. In the first three months of this year, the NYPD seized 1,146 guns.

Murders fell 28% (54 vs. 75) citywide, reaching the lowest level ever recorded for a first quarter. Year-to-date, murder is down more than 57% (12 vs. 28) in Brooklyn, more than 44% (5 vs. 9) in Manhattan, and nearly 6% (16 vs. 17) in Queens. Staten Island has had zero murders so far in 2026. And in the Bronx, there were two more murders this year than in 2025 year-to-date (21 vs. 19).

Burglaries plummeted to their second-lowest level on record, declining 20.6% (2,587 vs. 3,259) for the quarter. Residential burglaries are also down nearly 20%, reaching record lows. These numbers are the result of the department’s Precision Task Force approach, which brings patrol officers, detectives, Intel and crime analysts, and specialized units together to coordinate on driving down burglaries.

Grand larceny declined 3.6% (10,208 vs. 10,587) for the quarter, led by a 10.6% decline in the Bronx (1,872 vs. 2,095).

Robbery decreased nearly 8% (2,941 vs. 3,192) for the quarter and is down across all five boroughs. There were 1,000 fewer robberies during the first quarter of 2026 compared to the first quarter of 2024 (2,941 vs. 3,983).

There were 44 fewer felony assaults or a decrease of nearly 1% (6,572 vs. 6,616) for the quarter, marking the first year since 2021 that the first quarter is down in felony assaults.

Auto theft fell 3.6% (2,697 vs. 2,799) for the quarter, led by an 18.2% drop in the Bronx (815 vs. 996). 

Retail theft is down 20.1% (10,973 vs. 13,738) citywide year-to-date, with double-digit declines in all five boroughs. The decline reflects the NYPD’s focused strategy to address retail theft that started last year and involves: identifying the patterns driving these crimes, concentrating resources at high-propensity locations during peak hours, and shifting from pass-through enforcement to sustained investigation.

Rape incidents are up 10.1% (523 vs. 475) for the quarter. The rise in reported rape incidents can be partially attributed to legislative changes enacted in September 2024, which rightfully broadened the legal definition of rape in New York State to include additional forms of sexual assault. Additionally, the NYPD has enhanced its work with advocates to encourage all survivors of sexual assault to come forward and report these incidents.

Historic Crime Reductions in Public Housing

The NYPD is also delivering historic reductions in gun violence in public housing developments across the city. Overall crime in public housing fell 7.2% year-to-date (1,266 vs. 1,364) and reached record lows for murders, shooting incidents, shooting victims, and robberies. Year-to-date, murders are down 62.5% (3 vs. 8), shooting incidents are down 29.6% (19 vs. 27), shooting victims are down 27.6% (21 vs. 29), and robberies are down 27.3% (157 vs. 216).

Keeping the Subway System Safe

Last year was the safest year on New York City’s subway since 2009, excluding the pandemic years, and the NYPD has sustained that progress with overall subway crime down 1.3% (537 vs. 544), grand larceny down 9.1% (251 vs. 276), which is an all-time low excluding 2021, and felony assault down 6.6% (155 vs. 166).

Reporting Hate Crimes

The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force (HCTF) investigates allegations of hate crimes and bias-motivated incidents. There are two data sets related to hate crimes that the NYPD will share on a monthly basis moving forward: 1) confirmed hate crimes and 2) reported hate crimes. After an incident is flagged as a possible hate crime, the HCTF investigates and determines, in consultation with the NYPD Legal Bureau, whether it constitutes a hate crime under New York State law. If an incident is deemed a hate crime under the law, it will be categorized as a confirmed hate crime.

The NYPD has publicly disclosed confirmed hate crime data for years. This is the first time the NYPD is providing data on the universe of reported hate crimes — whether or not they are ultimately confirmed as hate crimes by the HCTF. The disclosure of both sets of numbers will enhance transparency and reflects best practice in connection with hate crime reporting. The NYPD previously provided data on the total number of confirmed hate crimes combined with only those reported hate crimes that had not yet been reviewed or classified by the HCTF. This new reporting paradigm represents a significant advancement in transparency.

In addition to enhancing transparency regarding hate crime activity, the NYPD is also increasing community involvement in the work of the HCTF. There is a preexisting group of community members who provide feedback to the NYPD regarding hate crime cases, but the department will be formalizing that work through a Civilian Hate Crimes Committee memorialized in department procedure. Members of the committee will review how the HCTF investigated possible hate crimes and the decision whether to classify them as confirmed hate crimes.

For the first quarter of 2026, confirmed hate crimes increased 11.7% from 2025 (143 vs 128). More than half of all confirmed hate crimes or 55% (78 out of 143), were anti-Jewish, despite Jews only making up approximately 10% of the population of New York City.

In March 2026, the HCTF confirmed 55 incidents as hate crimes out of 73 incidents that were reported as hate crimes.

Youth Safety Plan

To address youth violence, the department adjusted its strategy with School Safety Agents and increased deployments in and around schools. As a result, school-related enforcement is down 6%, and school-related crime is down 5.5% for the school year. In addition, at the start of the 2025 school year, the NYPD created Youth Safety Zones, modeled after the Violence Reduction Plan. These zones focus on the areas where young people are most at risk — commuter corridors, bus stops, and routes to and from school. Since its inception in September 2025, overall youth-related crime is down nearly 55% (134 vs. 297), shooting incidents are down 56.2% (7 vs. 16), and shooting victims are down 55.6% (8 vs. 18) in the zones during deployment hours.

Record-Breaking Safety on our Roads

The NYPD’s Transportation Bureau kept New Yorkers safe on city roads, delivering the second fewest traffic fatalities in recorded history for the first quarter. Traffic fatalities dropped by 6.7% (42 vs. 45) compared to last year. These numbers are the direct result of focused enforcement in priority corridors with the highest numbers of collisions.

*All crime statistics are preliminary and subject to further analysis, revision, or change. *

Index Crime Statistics: Mar. 2026

Index Crime Statistics: Q1 (Jan. 1 - Mar. 31)

Additional Statistics: Mar. 2026

Additional Statistics: Q1 (Jan. 1 - Mar. 31)

Rape Incident Reporting Statistics: Mar. 2026
(Reports filed from Mar. 1 – Mar. 31 in years indicated)

Rape Incident Reporting Statistics: Q1 (January - March)
(Reports filed from January 1 – Mar. 31 in years indicated)

Hate Crime Statistics: Mar. 2026
(Representing Mar. 1 – Mar. 31 for calendar years 2026 and 2025)

(Representing Mar 1 – Mar 31 for calendar year 2026)

Hate Crime Statistics: YTD
(Representing Jan 1 – Mar 31 for calendar years 2026 and 2025)