2025 YEAR IN REVIEW: These were this year’s top NYC news stories

As the year draws to a close, there was no shortage of NYC news stories in 2025, with many marked by immigration challenges, politics, transit and more topics that made it above the fold.

Congestion pricing launched in the beginning of the year, charging drivers a new toll into Manhattan south of 61st street, fueling division among New Yorkers who either support or oppose the toll.

New Yorkers in Lower Manhattan watched in horror as a tour helicopter lost control in flight before plunging in the Hudson River, killing all six people on board, including three children.

But it was not all about controversy and catastrophe in 2025, of which there was plenty. High-profile crime, economic and political stories filled the pages of local newspapers, none perhaps more than the election of Zohran Mamdani as the first Muslim mayor of NYC, who is set to begin his tenure at the start of the new year.

Here’s a look back at some of amNewYork’s top NYC news stories in 2025

Congestion pricing was met with both applause and opposition

Congestion pricing toll gantries on the Williamsburg BridgePhoto by Dean Moses

The nation’s first congestion pricing toll was implemented in NYC on Jan. 5, sparking mixed reactions among New Yorkers. The controversial program charges drivers a base toll of $9 to enter much of Manhattan and is primarily aimed at improving traffic speed and air quality while raising money for MTA transit projects . But many New Yorkers saw it as a burgeoning tax on drivers in the city.

Initial rollout saw a mix of celebration, compliance and outcry. While many reports showed a decline in traffic and an increase in local business, some New Yorkers expressed concern over the diversion of traffic into peripheral boroughs and the financial burden it places on drivers.

Today, legal challenges continue as others have been tossed out against the program , which is still in effect in NYC.

Rite Aid shut down after 63 years in business

The go-to pharmacy for people across the country, including NYC, went out of business this year. After filing for bankruptcy in 2023, the nationwide chain began slowly closing locations, starting with four in NYC that year. Eventually, the company shut all locations in 2025 as layoffs ensued, and patient prescriptions were transferred to other drug stores.

According to reports, Rite Aid’s filing noted that the company lost about $1.3 billion in the first half of its fiscal year around that time. Reasons cited for the losses included lawsuits related to painkillers and retail theft.

Today, many former Rite Aid stores remain abandoned with signs still bearing the company’s name throughout the city.

A tour helicopter crashed into the Hudson River, killing everyone on board

Wreckage from the helicopter crash in the Hudson River on April 10, 2025.Photo by Dean Moses

New Yorkers in Lower Manhattan watched in horror as a doomed tour helicopter broke apart in mid-air on April 10 before plunging into the Hudson River, killing everyone on board, including three children.

Authorities spent the next few days searching the water for debris to find clues into the cause of the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported that the chopper did not have a “black box” flight recorder on board, as many aircraft do.

Just days after the crash, New York Helicopter Tours, the company behind the horrific incident, went out of business. Soon, New Yorkers, politicians and advocates were debating whether or not non-essential aircraft should be permitted to fly in NYC.

Despite ongoing debate, helicopter tours are still allowed to fly over New York City.

Masked ICE agents conducted raids throughout NYC, zeroing in on immigration court

Almost immediately after President Trump took office on Jan. 20, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents swooped into NYC, arresting undocumented migrants at various locations, including immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan. The raids resulted in many families being separated, as authorities brought into custody parents, and others, who they have said have pending deportation or similar orders.

The federal building was a flashpoint for immigration enforcement activities, public protests and community concerns surrounding ICE operations. Reports involving agents, often wearing full-face masks to conceal their identities, and others describe heavy tension at the site. At times, agents and protestors engaged in scuffles that resulted in injury.

Reporters, exercising freedom of the press under their First Amendment rights, were victims of ICE operations on Sept. 30 at 26 Federal Plaza.

amNewYork’s own police bureau chief, Dean Moses, was assaulted by masked ICE agents while he was doing his job covering the raids. Agents grabbed Moses as he attempted to take photographs of them apprehending a person inside an elevator on the same day.

“I walked into the elevator behind them, and they started screaming at me, ‘Get the f–k out,” Moses described after the attack. “Then they pushed me, grabbed me by my arms, and started pulling me out of the elevator. I tried to hold on, but I got shoved out.”

City officials including Comptroller Brad Lander and Jumaane Williams, spent much of the year at the federal building’s immigration court defending civilians, undocumented migrants and denouncing ICE operations. Both Lander and Williams were arrested after demanding access to holding cells while attempting to see if agents were complying with orders about inhumane conditions inside the areas.

Elected officials, including Lander and Williams, as well as other activists were arrested for various charges including blocking entrances and driveways.

ICE will likely continue its operations into the new year, widening the division between homeland security and immigration advocates.

A Mexican Navy ship struck the Brooklyn Bridge, leaving two dead

A Mexican Navy training ship is seen in front of the Manhattan Bridge, after it was damaged having run into into the Brooklyn Bridge on May 17, 2025.REUTERS/Santiago Lyon

The Cuauhtémo, a Mexican naval vessel, crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge on a quiet Saturday evening in May, leaving at least two dead and many injured.

Reports at the time said the ship was in town as part of good cheer related to the United States’ 250th anniversary next year before it struck the iconic bridge on May 17.

No one was hurt on the bridge, though officials closed it to traffic while inspections took place.

Midtown shooter kills five, including an NYPD officer

Four people, including an NYPD officer, were shot to death inside a building at 345 Park Ave. after a gunman opened fire, targeting NFL headquarters on July 28.

The shooter, identified as Shane Tamura from Nevada, opened fire in the lobby, killing NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, 36, who was working an off-duty security detail, and three others before turning the gun on himself.

The city’s medical examiner confirmed in September that Tamura had CTE, a trauma-induced neurodegenerative disease of brain tissue. The development supported the claim that the shooter had a suicide note in which he believed he had CTE, which is often linked to contact sports, including football.

Officer Islam, of the 47th Precinct, was laid to rest on July 31.

Zohran Mamdani won NYC’s 2025 mayoral election, becoming the first Muslim mayor of NYC

Assembly Member from Queens Zohran Mamdani led a victorious campaign to become the next mayor of NYC, beating out fellow candidates Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa on Election Day in November.

A Democratic socialist, Mamdani overwhelmingly won the election in part based on his platform for free bus transit, rent freezes and similar affordability items that resonated with NYC voters across all income levels. At a time when prices of everyday items such as food and utilities were going up, Mamdani’s financial promises helped propel him to victory.

As the first Muslim mayor to lead the Big Apple, the nation’s largest city, Mamdani began selecting members of his administration in December and will take office at the start of the new year.

“On Jan. 1, I will be sworn in as the mayor of New York City and that is because of you, so before I say anything else, I must say this: thank you,” the mayor-elect said after winning the election. “I will wake each morning with a singular purpose, to make this city better for you than it was the day before.”

Adams’ criminal charges get tossed

The criminal indictment against Mayor Eric Adams ended on April 2.

A federal judge dismissed the five-count criminal campaign fraud indictment against the mayor in a ruling “with prejudice,” meaning that federal prosecutors will not be able to resurrect the case against him.

The decision marked a victory for Adams, who eventually dropped his reelection campaign this year.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office charged Adams in September 2024 with bribery, campaign finance and conspiracy offences. He has continued to maintain his innocence of the charges.

Pope Leo XIV accepts Cardinal Dolan’s resignation

Archbishop-designate Ronald Hicks (l.) with Cardinal Timothy Dolan at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Dec. 18, 2025.Photo by Dean Moses

The Vatican announced in December its acceptance of Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s resignation from the Archdiocese of New York. It was a decision by the pontiff that clears the way for Bishop Ronald Hicks of Joliet, IL, to assume leadership of the archdiocese’s 2.8 million Catholics next year.

Cardinal Dolan submitted his resignation to Pope Francis in February, when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 for bishops, as required by the Catholic Church. Although Pope Francis did not accept the resignation before his death in April, the succeeding Pope Leo ultimately did.

Dolan was appointed the 10th archbishop of New York in 2009.

Casinos win big in NYC

NYC knew when to hold them, and when to fold them, as three casino developers finally scored licenses to open up full-scale gaming in the city, beating out other bidders rejected by advisory boards along the way.

The NYS Gaming Commission gave its final approval to Bally’s in the Bronx, and Metropolitan Park and Resorts World in Queens to build three multi-billion dollar casinos, officially ending a years-long review process, on Dec. 15.

There are no set dates yet when the casinos will open yet, but they are expected to generate billions in state gaming tax revenue, as well as additional funds from other taxes. That money, officials have said, will help support MTA projects and education.

The three winners remained in what was once a crowded playing field of developers and gaming facilities to score a highly coveted downstate license. But the race narrowed as some bidders were rejected by committees while others abruptly decided to withdraw their proposals — perhaps proving they knew how to play the game and walk away.