NYC CRIME: Murders and shootings plummet to record-lows in January – but NYPD says rape and antisemitic crimes are up

The new year of 2026 saw the “safest January ever” for gun violence, with the fewest murders, shootings, and shooting victims in recorded NYC history, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced on Monday.

According to the NYPD’s latest crime statistics, the Big Apple saw 40 shootings and 47 victims from shootings, compared to the previous all-time lows of 50 and 56, set in 2025 and 2019, respectively.

It is not just about incidents , law enforcement authorities said. Murders fell to their lowest level for a January in history, shattering the previous record of 22 set in 2018 and 2022. Not one homicide was reported during January in Manhattan and Staten Island.

Tisch credited an enhanced police presence through the department’s Winter Violence Reduction Plan, launched last month, for the decrease in shootings.

“For the first month of the year, the women and men of the NYPD delivered the fewest shooting incidents, victims, and murders in recorded history,” the commish said. “These results show that this department remains focused on building on the historic public safety gains made last year. Our strategy is simple: don’t just get tough on crime, get smart. And deploy the best police officers in the nation to get it done and make New York safer.”

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.Photo by Dean Moses

As part of the cold-weather anti-violence plan, the department deployed up to 1,800 uniformed officers to nightly foot posts across 64 zones in 33 precincts, public housing, and the subway system.

Major crime is down around 36%, Tisch said, since the program started.

Overall, index crime is down: NYPD

The department’s latest report shows that major crime was down nearly 7% in January compared to the same month last year (8,338 vs. 8,940). Shooting incidents declined in January by 20% (40 vs. 50) and shooting victims declined by 30.9% (47 vs. 68). Murders fell 60% (12 vs. 30).

Burglary fell 27.8% (854 vs. 1,183), while robbery declined 9.9% (993 vs. 1,102) during the same period.

Other achievements include: Auto theft declined 4%; grand larceny declined 2.3%; and felony assault went down 2% during the same time comparison.

A significant increase in rape and antisemitic crimes

Rape continued to increase, up year-to-date to 167 reported incidents, compared to 157 during the same period last year. The department said the increase is due in part to changes in laws that say what can and can not be defined as rape.

“The rise in reported incidents since September 2024 is partly attributed to legislative changes which rightfully broadened the legal definition of rape in New York state to now include additional forms of sexual assault,” an NYPD press release read.

Meanwhile, the number of bias incidents investigated by the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force increased by 152% (58 vs. 23). Specifically, anti-Jewish hate crimes increased by 182% (31 vs. 11).

Anti-Jewish hate crimes accounted for more than half of hate crime incidents reported in January.

The statistics do not come as a shock to many New Yorkers after a slew of antisemitic incidents made headlines in NYC last month. Just last week, a man repeatedly drove a vehicle into the main entrance of the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters in Crown Heights, in what police are investigating as a possible hate crime. No injuries were reported, but the suspect, Dan Sohail, was taken into custody.

On Jan. 27, Holocaust Remembrance Day, a rabbi was attacked on his way to synagogue in Queens. Per an ABC 7 report, the victim was punched in his chest and face by the suspect, who also hurled antisemitic remarks at him.

The NYPD also reported an uptick in Asian and Black motivated hate crimes, up from 1 to 5 and 1 to 2, respectively.

NYPD NOTE: Rape continues to be underreported. If you are a survivor of sexual assault, the department advises you to come forward. The 24-hour NYPD Special Victims Division hotline is: 212-267-RAPE (7273).