For the first time in a number of years, homicides committed in Lehigh County were in the single digits in 2025, continuing a downward trend both locally and nationally.
“It’s a pattern that gives me hope,” said Allentown police Chief Charles Roca. Just six homicides occurred in the city in 2025 — an increase from four homicides in 2024 but down from 17 homicide deaths in 2023.
The Lehigh County coroner’s office recorded nine homicide deaths in 2025. One of those happened out of the county (the victim’s body was left in Coopersburg), and another was the result of what authorities said was a “suicide by cop.” Of the seven homicides law enforcement in Lehigh County investigated, two were ruled justified.
The numbers mark a significant drop from 2023, when there were 26 homicides. In 2024, there were 11, a drop of nearly 58%, according to coroner’s office data. The nine last year marks the lowest total in at least 15 years.
“It’s remarkable,” said Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan.
Publicly available data for Lehigh County, which goes back to 2008, shows 2009 with the most homicide deaths at 33, though 15 of them were out-of-county.
It was a similar story in Northampton County, which had just three homicides in 2025, leading to first-degree murder charges against two men.
Data from the Northampton County coroner’s office, which dates back to 2000, shows single-digit homicide numbers for most years outside of 2017 and 2007, which both had 11, the highest number in that timeframe. The lowest number was just one, which happened in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
Lehigh DA sees increased cooperation from community
Holihan said a number of contributing factors led to fewer homicides and other violent crimes.
One, he said, is that the community is respecting law enforcement, which has been working to connect with residents over the years. The DA said increased cooperation from the community led to quicker arrests.
“If you can clear those cases quickly, that does a lot for the community,” he said.
A quick arrest takes an offender off the street, reduces the likelihood of retaliation and sends a message that violent crimes are going to lead to an arrest. The threat of quick imprisonment can be a deterrent, he said.
Holihan said his office is making other efforts, but the results could take years to see. His office has funded crime-reduction measures on both ends of the spectrum, including providing training and technology for law enforcement, as well as community efforts such as a sober living facility for mothers where children can stay and reentry programs.
“We’re doing both, and I think you have to do both,” Holihan said.
“You can’t just ramp up the pressure on the system entirely,” he said.
Roca pointed out one such long-term effort that’s seeing payoffs: Allentown police established a community outreach unit years ago, and worked to connect with private citizens and community or nonprofit groups.
“We actually are realizing the benefits to that,” he said.
In many of the 2025 homicides, Holihan said, lots of people were willing to help law enforcement, which led to quick identification of suspects. He pointed to a case November when a delivery driver allegedly fatally hit a man in Allentown, then fled. Witnesses came forward to help very quickly, and a suspect was arrested several weeks later.
“A couple of years ago, it wasn’t always the case,” Holihan said.
The DA said in January there was only one arrest warrant outstanding for homicides in both 2024 and 2025. The clearance rate of homicides last year was 94%, much higher than that of the national average, he said.
“The technology has made it easy and also the community help has been phenomenal,” he said.
Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan speaks at a news conference. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Northampton DA credits good police work
Northampton County DA Stephen Baratta said good police work is making the county as safe as it’s ever been.
“I would say that right now, our homicide rates are near historic lows for the century,” he said.
The county’s first homicide of 2025 happened in March, when a man allegedly killed his wife in Bethlehem Township. A few months later, a man killed his in-laws in Palmer Township; he recently pleaded guilty to the crimes.
Baratta, who served as as a judge for 25 years before being elected DA in 2023, said the small number of homicides in recent years is a change from the late 1990s and early 2000s.
He credited that to the professionalism of law enforcement in Easton and Bethlehem, which have, like Allentown, engaged in community policing.
“For the most part, the gang-related homicides and even assaults and drug involvement has been reduced incredibly because of their hard work,” the Northampton DA said.
Both departments put officers in neighborhoods and retail locations, and developed a relationship with residents. They also have substations so officers can respond to certain areas quicker.
“I think that’s a realization of hard work by the two police departments,” the DA said. “I couldn’t praise them enough.”
He said from his perspective, the professionalism of the county departments, as well as state police, has increased over the last 15 years.
“I only have good things to say about law enforcement in Northampton County right now,” Baratta said.
Northampton County District Attorney Stephen Baratta holds a news conference Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at Northampton County Courthouse in Easton. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Numbers reflect nationwide trend
The drop in homicide numbers locally reflects what has been seen nationally in recent years. The FBI reported in 2024 that murder and non-negligent manslaughter cases dropped nearly 15% from the year prior.
While the agency’s report on 2025 is not yet available, several organizations reported the trend continued last year.
The Council on Criminal Justice, in a report released in January, said the rate of reported homicides dropped 21% from the previous year; the CCJ said 35 study cities provided data.
The Real Time Crime index, which uses data from hundreds of law enforcement agencies throughout the country, reported a nearly 20% drop from 2024 to 2025, and 30% from 2023 to 2025.