Subway felony assaults rise even as overall transit crime hits historic lows, NYPD data shows

Crime on the city’s subways has continued to fall to historic lows, but felony assaults, a violent category that often shapes public perception, have climbed, according to NYPD crime data.

So far this year, the NYPD has reported 778 major crimes in the transit system – 40 fewer than the same period last year. Outside of the pandemic years, only 2009 had fewer such crimes during this stretch of the calendar.

But a closer look at the numbers reveals a more troubling trend: felony assaults in the subway are up 20% compared to the same time last year.

According to data provided to Gothamist, these attacks, which involve serious physical harm, are not widespread but tend to occur at a small number of stations and still have an outsized influence on riders’ sense of safety.

A signature issue for Commissioner Tisch

Since her appointment in November, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch has made subway safety central to her public agenda. Her strategy has involved deploying extra officers into the system and shifting their focus to platforms and subway cars, where she said most crime takes place. She’s also had officers enforce subway rules more aggressively.

While this approach appears to be suppressing overall crime, it may not be deterring the more violent incidents that riders find most disturbing.

Chris Herrmann, a former NYPD criminologist and current professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, questioned if Tisch’s strategy may be exacerbating tensions underground.

“Does broken windows or quality-of-life policing push people towards that breaking point where they start to fight back?” Herrmann said. “If that's the case, then you would again see those increases in assaults.”

Subway workers, police frequently targeted

One such assault occurred over the weekend, when a subway conductor was punched in the face by a man in the Bronx.

Police said the 35-year-old conductor was about to signal her 4 train to leave the 183rd Street station around 5:30 a.m. Saturday when a man approached her cab, reached inside and hit her, authorities said.

The NYPD later released surveillance images of the man leaving the station in gray sweatpants, a cream hoodie and a white baseball cap. They’re now asking for the public’s help in identifying him.

According to the NYPD, attacks against transit workers and police officers make up more than a third of felony assaults in the transit system this year. In the first 20 weeks of 2025, there have been 85 such assaults – up from 70 during the same period in 2024.

The MTA condemned the assault, but praised the agency’s efforts to install 13,000 cameras inside subway cars in addition to more than 10,000 already deployed in stations.

“With more cameras than ever in the transit system, we are confident the NYPD will catch this perpetrator,” MTA spokesperson Meghan Keegan said. “And when they do, we will aggressively push in court for maximum consequences.”

Riders weigh in on subway safety

Some subway riders interviewed Tuesday said they’ve felt a stronger police presence lately, and it’s helping.

“There's definitely a deterrence factor. If somebody wanted to cause trouble,  they see folks,” said Mo Sadiq, 35, who rides the C train between Chambers Street and the Upper West Side.

Venicia Dhanraj, a 41-year-old nanny, said she appreciates having officers nearby in case something goes wrong.

“Say a bad incident happened in the subway,” she said. “Now, you're just stuck and there's no way for an officer. So it could be helpful.”

But some police watchdogs questioned whether the NYPD’s tactics are targeting the right people.

Robert Gangi, founder of the Police Reform Organizing Project, said the department’s focus on fare evasion and low-level offenses often disproportionately affects low-income New Yorkers and people of color.

“ We believe there are social and economic factors that, from a practical standpoint, have more to do with driving crime than whatever the policing strategy happens to be,” he said.