‘Bad couple of weeks’ but officials say NYC subway crime is still down
June 26, 2023, 2:36 p.m.
After a man was robbed and shot on the S train late Sunday night, the NYPD and the MTA say they will continue to focus on small offenders to keep crime down.
New York City’s trains have gone through “a couple bad weeks,” but crime is still down, MTA officials said. And focusing on fare evasion and rules of conduct, they said, will keep it that way.
Last week saw five stabbings and slashing. On Sunday, a 36-year-old man was shot onboard the southbound S train in Queens on Sunday night, an NYPD spokesperson said. Police are searching for the suspect, who shot the victim in the upper thigh while on the train at the Rockaway Park–Beach 116 Street station, authorities said.
Police officials said Sunday’s victim was approached by an unidentified man, who demanded his belongings in an attempted robbery. The victim was then hit on the forehead with a gun and shot. The victim’s wallet was stolen.
The victim is in stable condition at Brookdale Hospital. An investigation is currently underway.
MTA Chair Janno Lieber told reporters on Monday that the NYPD has put more cops on the trains because of the recent “high profile” incidents.
“We had a bad couple of weeks, but the presence of police has improved riders’ sense of confidence,” Lieber said. “And I think we're going to get back to the downward trend we were seeing until the last few weeks.”
Despite the headlines, felony assaults and murders in the transit system are down this year compared to last. According to police statistics, in the first four months of 2023 there were 152 felony assaults and two murders. Over the same time last year, there were 161 felony assaults and four murders.
The NYPD recently announced a “surge” of cops into the subway system to quell crime. The exact number of extra officers changes according to the official.
Last week, Michael Kemper, NYPD chief of transit, said there are 1,000 extra officers. The New York Times later reported the number was 80. Leiber said Monday the number was 500.
Regardless, Lieber said, crime is down, and the agency will continue to target small offenders.
“We're going to continue to use the enforcement of the rules of conduct and including the fare evasion enforcement to try to make sure that bad guys don't come into the system,” he said.
This story has been updated with additional comment from MTA Chair Janno Lieber.