2025 YEAR IN REVIEW: A look at the top 10 web stories of 2025

2025 proved to be a very busy year for New York City, including high-profile celebrity deaths, escalating ICE activity, major busts, political surprises and so much more.

Thanks to your ongoing support, AMNY.com has reached great heights this year. As of Dec. 21, the website had 16,659,233 pageviews.

Here’s a run-down of the top 10 most-viewed stories published this year on AMNY.com .

Back in February, actress Michelle Trachtenberg, known for her roles on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Gossip Girl,” was found dead in her Midtown apartment . At the time of her death, it was unclear if Tractenberg’s health contributed to her untimely death as she had received a liver transplant in 2024; it was later reported that her primary cause of death was complications of diabetes, which can be a side effect of organ transplantation.

In July, a mass shooting occurred in Midtown that resulted in the deaths of five people. Surveillance footage showed the shooter, identified as Las Vegas resident Shane Tamura, showed him entering 345 Park Ave. with an M-4 rifle and proceeding to fatally shoot four people, and then later fatally shooting himself. Among those killed in the shooting was Police Officer Didarul Islam, 36, assigned to the 47th Precinct.

In more mass shooting news, back in January, police in Queens were searching for the gunmen responsible for committing a mass shooting at the Amazura event hall in Jamaica . The hall was reportedly holding a private event in honor of a known gang member in the community slain in October 2024, whose birthday fell on New Year’s Day. Ten people were wounded as a result.

In June, New York City Comptroller and then-mayoral primary candidate Brad Lander was forcefully arrested by ICE agents at Federal Plaza . The arrest occurred as Lander and his staff were arm-in-arm with an immigrant (who had their case dismissed pending further appeal) whom federal agents moved to seize after a court hearing. Lander was later released without charges.

The city DOT had a message for NYC drivers in March: no more blocking your plate! Transportation officials announced that a slew of new laws around license plates would be going into effect the following month , including mandates to keep plates clear and visible. Any obstruction of license plates, including dirt, rust, plastic coverings or any material that makes the plate unreadable, would be prohibited.

Secret Service members were following the money in May and investigating EBT skimmers at local stores. Dubbed Operation Flagship, the Secret Service teamed up with NYPD and the USDA for a three-day takedown investigating illegal debit card and EBT machines designed to siphon funds from New Yorkers . Throughout the investigation, the operation confiscated 14 devices, including three clone devices.

Fare evasion is still a top-of-mind issue for the MTA, and in December, MTA CEO Janno Lieber announced that the city will go “European style” in its effort to enforce fare evasion on city buses . The model of enforcement, Lieber says, will include fare agents, rather than cops, making sure that commuters have paid their fare.

Summertime travel is not without its hassles, and in June, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) urged travelers not to drive to John F. Kennedy Airport in an effort to reduce traffic congestion. To help encourage travelers to use public transit, PANYNJ offered 50% off a single AirTrain ticket, dropping the price from $8.50 to $4.25 from June 30 through Sept. 5.

Back in April, the NYPD told amNewYork that the department’s staffing crisis had reached its breaking point . Officers were reportedly leaving the department in droves, leaving less officers with more to cover, and the total officer headcount was the smallest it has been in more than three decades.

2025 was a huge election year for NYC, with this year’s primary determining the main candidates in major races. In the race for comptroller, replacing outgoing comptroller Brad Lander, up on the ballot for the position was Mark Levine, Justin Brannan, Ismael Malave and Kevin Parker. Levine ended up winning the primary and the subsequent election in November.