NEW YORK: New York City has recorded its lowest number of shootings in history, Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch today announced the October 2025 crime report. Through the first ten months of the year, police reported 596 shooting incidents and 744 victims, surpassing the city’s previous all-time lows set in 2018. In October alone, there were only 43 shootings and 50 victims, marking the lowest October totals ever recorded.
Murders also continued to drop sharply. The city logged 18 murders in October, a nearly 49 percent decline from the same month last year, tying the lowest total ever for that period. Transit crime followed a similar trend, with officials calling it the safest October for subway riders since before the pandemic. From July through October, the subway system saw its safest four-month stretch in more than a decade.
Fall Violence Reduction Plan Shows Results
Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch credited the success to the Fall Violence Reduction Plan, a citywide initiative launched earlier this year to target gun violence in high-risk zones. The plan deploys up to 1,800 uniformed officers nightly across precincts, housing developments, and transit areas in 54 zones across 38 communities. Since its rollout on October 13, overall index crime during deployment hours has dropped 26.6 percent, while shootings have fallen 41.7 percent, according to the department.
Gang Takedowns and Gun Seizures Strengthen Progress
The NYPD also pointed to continued progress in dismantling gangs and removing illegal guns. Detectives have conducted 57 gang-related takedowns this year and seized more than 4,625 firearms since January. Since the start of the Adams administration, officers have confiscated over 24,000 illegal guns citywide. Officials say those enforcement actions have played a major role in driving down shootings and restoring a sense of safety across neighborhoods.
Major Crimes Continue to Decline Across the City
Citywide, major crimes fell 6.5 percent in October compared with last year. Shooting incidents dropped nearly 48 percent, while shooting victims declined 45 percent. Felony assaults decreased 7 percent, reversing a four-year upward trend. Burglaries were down 8.9 percent, marking the third-lowest October on record. Robberies fell 11.6 percent, reaching their lowest level since 2020, and both grand larceny and auto theft showed notable declines.
Crime in public housing also dipped 4.7 percent, further underscoring the broader citywide trend of improvement.
Hate Crimes and Rape Reports Reflect Shifting Trends
The NYPD reported that hate crimes dropped 22 percent year-over-year. Officials cautioned that those numbers may change as ongoing investigations lead to reclassification of some cases.
Meanwhile, rape reports rose 8.6 percent in October, increasing from 174 to 189 incidents. Police attributed part of the increase to a 2024 change in New York State law that expanded the legal definition of rape. The department urged survivors to come forward and offered confidential support through its 24-hour Special Victims Division hotline at 212-267-RAPE (7273).
City Leaders Credit Precision Policing
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch praised officers for their focus on “precision policing,” calling the results a reflection of smarter deployment and stronger community engagement. Mayor Eric Adams echoed that sentiment, saying the numbers prove his administration’s targeted strategy is “keeping New Yorkers safe while holding criminals accountable.”
Officials emphasized that the data remain preliminary and may be updated as further reports are processed, but they maintained that the downward trajectory marks a major step forward in making the nation’s largest city safer.