By SÍLE MOLONEY
POLICE RESPOND TO a shooting at Creston Avenue and East 192nd Street by St. James Park on Tuesday morning, March 3, 2026.
Photo by Síle Moloney
Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch announced March 2 that the NYPD delivered the fewest citywide shooting incidents, shooting victims, and murders in recorded history for the first two months of 2026, adding that for January and February combined, the city had 83 shooting incidents and 97 shooting victims, beating the previous all-time lows of 92 and 105, set in 2025 and 2019, respectively. She said so far this year, the city has recorded 32 murders, beating the previous all-time low of 38 set in 2018. Meanwhile, overall Bronx crime statistics are up.
Tisch said the historic reductions drove an overall 8% decline in major crime citywide, with decreases in every borough and 1,100 fewer crimes reported year-to-date. She said of note was that burglary dropped nearly 20% citywide in February to the lowest level in recorded history year-to-date, and retail theft fell 24.7%.
The NYPD said it also delivered the safest start to any year in public housing developments across the city with the fewest shooting incidents, shooting victims, murders, and robberies for the first two months of the year.
“Once again, the NYPD is demonstrating how targeted, data-driven policing is reducing crime and keeping communities safe,” said Tisch. “In the first two months of this year, we have seen the fewest shooting incidents, shooting victims, murders, and burglaries in recorded history for January and February combined.”
She added, “The men and women of the NYPD brought major crime down in every borough and there were 1,100 fewer reported crimes than last year. From our public housing – which had historic lows in crime – to our streets and subways, we will always stay focused on keeping New Yorkers safe, and I thank every member of the NYPD for their continued work in getting us here.”
MAJOR CRIME STATISTICS for The Bronx for the 28-day period ending Feb. 22, 2026, compared to the same timeframe last year (left), and year-to-date major crime statistics for The Bronx as of Feb. 22, 2026, compared to last year (right).
Source: NYPD via Compstat
The commissioner went on to say that the NYPD continues to combat violent crime and shootings through its Winter Violence Reduction Plan, which she said deploys up to 1,800 uniformed officers to nightly foot posts across 64 zones in 33 precincts, public housing, and the subway system. She said since its inception in January, major crime is down 23.1% and shootings are down 66.7% in the zones.
Tisch said that citywide, overall major crime fell nearly 8% (7,596 vs. 8,250) for February and declined across every borough, adding that murders “plummeted by a staggering 33.3% (16 vs. 24) for February, marking the second fewest murders for any February on record.” Norwood News recently reported on the tragic murder of 16-year-old Christopher Redding in the Kingsbridge section of The Bronx last month.
Meanwhile, the NYPD said shooting incidents rose slightly in February by 2.4% (43 vs. 42) with only one more incident recorded versus the prior month. They said shooting victims also increased by seven more victims, or 16.3% (50 vs. 43). When combined with January’s numbers, the NYPD said shooting incidents and shooting victims are still at the lowest levels in recorded history.
They said burglary declined 19.8% (784 vs. 977) in February, adding that year-to-date, burglary is down 22.3% (1,678 vs. 2,160) with 482 less burglaries, marking the fewest for any year-to-date in recorded history.
The NYPD said grand larceny fell 6.8% (3,014 vs. 3,233) in February, while robbery decreased 6.4% (919 vs. 982), felony assault fell 6.1% (1,910 vs. 2,035), and auto theft declined 5.8% (792 vs. 841).
Police said that in the month of February, the number of reported rapes increased by 1.9% (161 vs. 158) compared to February 2025. 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, they added. The department said it continues to encourage survivors of sexual assault to come forward and report these incidents.
NYPD officials went on to say that retail theft in the month of February fell 24.7% (3,285 vs. 4,365), despite typically rising during the winter months. They said the decline reflects what they described as the department’s focused approach: identifying the patterns driving these crimes, concentrating resources at high-propensity locations during peak hours, and shifting from pass-through enforcement to sustained investigation.
MAJOR CRIME STATISTICS for the 52nd Precinct for the 28-day period ending Feb. 22, 2026, compared to the same timeframe last year (left), and year-to-date major crime statistics for the 52nd Precinct as of Feb. 22, 2026, compared to last year (right). This precinct covers some or all of Bedford Park, Fordham, Kingsbridge, Norwood, Bronx Park, and University Heights.
Source: NYPD via Compstat
They said crime in public housing also declined 14.7% (371 vs. 435) in February, and 12.1% (785 vs. 893) year-to-date. They said February alone also marked record-low shooting incidents, shooting victims, murders, and robberies in public housing. Compared to last year, they said shooting incidents decreased by 45.5% (6 vs. 11), shooting victims decreased by 36.4% (7 vs. 11), and robberies decreased by 33% (42 vs. 63).
Below ground, the NYPD said transit crime increased 18.5% (192 vs. 162) in February, a difference of 30 incidents. They said the increase coincided with record cold temperatures and snow in February, when ridership patterns shifted and the department paused ejections from the transit system for violations of the rules during the extreme weather. They said February saw a 61% decrease in ejections compared to January.
Police said the rise in transit crime was largely driven by felony assaults and nonviolent grand larcenies, which made up 27.1% and 51.6% of all transit crimes in February, respectively. They said felony assaults on NYPD officers increased by 41.7% (17 vs. 12), representing 32.7% of all total felony assaults. They said nonviolent grand larcenies were largely driven by thefts of unattended items, which surged 450% (22 vs. 4), and thefts from sleeping passengers, which rose 42.1% (27 vs. 22).
In response, the NYPD said it has deployed approximately 140 additional cops a day into the transit system. They said Manhattan, which has the largest ridership of any borough, had a decrease of over 20% in overall index crime in February, while The Bronx had an increase of 116.7%.
Department officials said that in addition to what they described as these focused deployments, the NYPD continues targeted efforts to protect young people across the city. They said at the start of the school year, the NYPD implemented its School Safety Plan, modeled after the Violence Reduction Plan.
They said these zones focus on the areas where young people are most at risk — commuter corridors, bus stops, and routes to and from school. The NYPD was seen Thursday, Feb. 26, parked outside Popeye’s fast food restaurant on Jerome Avenue near Mosholu Parkway in Norwood, where, typically, school kids are seen hanging out after school. Cops were heard gently directing kids to keep the sidewalk clear for passing pedestrians. As above, the shooting of 16-year-old Christopher Redding in Kingsbridge took place in an area where kids typically hang out after school.
As also reported, police said 18 people were taken into custody on Monday, Feb. 16, after an estimated one hundred to five hundred teens participated seemingly in an organized “takeover” of The Mall at Bay Plaza in the Baychester section of The Bronx.
The NYPD said that since inception in September 2025, overall youth-related crime is down 56.7% (109 vs. 252), shooting incidents are down 71.4% (4 vs. 14), and shooting victims are down 75% (4 vs. 16) in the zones during deployment hours.
POLICE VEHICLES ARE seen outside Popeye’s fast food restaurant on Jerome Avenue in Norwood on Feb. 26, 2026. The location is usually frequented by youth during after school hours.
Photo by Síle Moloney
NYPD officials said that previously, the department reported alleged hate crimes that were still under review, but now, they will report hate crimes that have been investigated and officially confirmed as such by the Hate Crimes Task Force. They said this updated methodology will provide a more accurate representation of confirmed hate crimes in the city. For the month of February, the NYPD recorded 38 hate crimes.
*All citywide crime statistics outlined below are preliminary and subject to further analysis, revision, or change.
Index Crime Statistics: February 2026
Crime
February
February
+/-
% Change
2026
2025
Murder
16
24
-8
-33.3%
Rape
161
158
3
1.9%
Robbery
919
982
-63
-6.4%
Felony Assault
1,910
2,035
-125
-6.1%
Burglary
784
977
-193
-19.8%
Grand Larceny
3,014
3,233
-219
-6.8%
Grand Larceny Auto
792
841
-49
-5.8%
TOTAL
7,596
8,250
-654
-7.9%
Additional Statistics: February 2026
Crime
February
February
+/-
% Change
2026
2025
Transit
192
162
30
18.5%
Housing
371
435
-64
-14.7%
Shooting Incidents
43
42
1
-2.4%
Rape Incident Reporting Statistics: February 2026
(Reports filed from February 1 – February 28 in years indicated)
Year
Total Incidents Reported
Incident Occurred
Same Year
1 Year Prior
2 Years Prior
3 Years Prior
4 Years Prior
5+ Years Prior
2026
161
105
29
7
4
4
13
2025
158
102
31
6
2
1
16
2024
115
72
25
6
1
1
9
2023
113
78
16
6
4
3
6
2022
140
86
35
6
3
2
8
2021
99
57
17
6
2
2
15
Hate Crime Statistics: February 2026
(Representing February 1 – February 28 for calendar year 2026)
Motivation
2026
Age
0
Asian
1
Black
4
Gender
0
Hispanic
0
Jewish
21
Muslim
1
Religion
4
Sexual Orientation
6
White
0
Grand Total
38
Note: Statistics above reflect the updated methodology for reporting on hate crimes.
As reported, a 35-year-old man has been hospitalized following a shooting in the Fordham Manor section of The Bronx by St. James Park on Tuesday morning, March 3.
As also reported, the police commissioner recently announced the division of The Bronx into two new patrol boroughs – Bronx North and Bronx South – in further efforts to address crime.
As also reported, the Deputy Inspector Asif Iqbal was recently appointed the commanding officer of the 52nd Precinct, which covers the Bronx neighborhoods of Bedford Park, Fordham, Kingsbridge, Norwood, Bronx Park, and University Heights.