New York City’s subway system has seen an impressive decrease in crime this year, which is a positive trend for public safety. But one type of crime is still on the rise on the rails: felony assault.
MTA officials said at an agency board meeting in Lower Manhattan on Wednesday that while major crime is spiraling down in the subways, felony assaults were up last year a whopping 55% from pre-pandemic levels reported in 2019.
In fact, MTA Chief of Security Michael Kemper said, assaults on NYPD officers were also up 152% during that same time period.
“Crime in the subway system is trending downward,” Kemper said. “There’s no question that even with all our efforts, high-profile, unfortunate and shocking crimes occur in our system. We can all agree that one crime is one crime too many. One stubborn crime we are particularly focused on is felony assault.”
But he added that felony assault arrests have also dramatically increased. There were 476 arrests for crimes of this kind in 2024 versus 270 in 2019.
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said the agency is concerned about the alarming crime trend. He also said proactive police enforcement, especially of fare evasion and quality-of-life offenses, could be a contributing factor.
“There are unique challenges,” Lieber said. “I am concerned that felony assaults are up despite overall lower crime. But that is partly a result of the increased enforcement that’s taking place.”
The CEO explained that encounters between police officers and fare evaders can too often turn physical.
“What’s happening to a great extent is the arrests are 100% up, especially for people being stopped for fare evasion,” Lieber detailed. “And some of those people who have apparently gotten used to the idea that fare evasion was a God-given right, then haul off and actually hit cops.”
Transit arrests have increased by 160% over the previous two years, according to the MTA. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, 71 police officers were assaulted in the subway system. In 2024, 179 officers were assaulted.
“When looking at the total number of assaults reported in 2024, assaults on cops represent 31% of all recorded assaults in the system,” Kemper explained.
MTA officials also said they remain focused on harsher penalties for recidivists.
The state-run MTA said it has taken action to help ease the growing number of felony assaults against cops, riders, and transit workers. These steps include support and investments from Gov. Kathy Hochul to implement security cameras in every subway car and assign more cops to trains and platforms.
In 2024, the agency also hired a criminal justice advocate who supports victims of crimes in transit and helps keep offenders accountable for their illegal behavior.
