New York City Mayor Eric Adams has claimed there is only a “perception” that crime in the Big Apple is “getting out of control” despite eight people having been killed in the subway system this year.
Adams claims he and the police are fighting ‘actual crime’, with the average of ‘six crimes a day’ on the subway ‘doesn’t give the impression that things are getting out of hand’.
The murder rate on the transportation network has skyrocketed to its highest annual level in 25 years as NYPD data shows the city grapples with an overall spike in random violence.
The number of homicides on the subway system from 2020 to this year is 22 – more than the number from 2008 to 2019 combined.
Between 1997 and 2020, there were never more than five homicides a year on the New York City subways.
That number rose to six in 2020, eight in 2021 and is already at eight with two and a half months to go.
Overall, the crime rate on the metro has increased by 42 percent this year compared to the same period in 2021, but the number of passengers has almost halved.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has claimed there is only a “perception” that crime in the Big Apple is “getting out of control” despite eight people having been killed in the subway system this year
Jayjon Burnett, 15, was murdered Friday afternoon – just six days before his 16th birthday – during a chaotic dispute between two groups on a Far Rockaway A train in Queens, New York.
In 2019, an average of 142 million people took the metro every month – about four million people per day. Now the monthly rider average is 81 million.
Crime in the city is up 31 percent this year, while shooting incidents have fallen, according to information released by the NYPD in June.
While the number of shooting incidents was up seven in June compared to May, the city has seen a 12 percent drop to date.
Speaking at an unrelated event, Adams admitted there are “too many guns” on the streets of New York, but added that the NYPD has done a “great job” seizing thousands of firearms.
The mayor, who had sirens in the background as he spoke about the increase in crime, said: “We are dealing with real crimes, those 8 murders and the perception of fear that people are feeling.
‘That’s the combination I’m dealing with, that perception and the actual crime.
“But we can’t get away with the fact that we have 3.5 million people using our subway system.
Crime in New York City is rampant, rising 31.8 percent overall from last year
Keyondre Russell, 18, who is being held without bail in the death of a teenager in a Queens subway car, claims he is actually the victim and that he acted only in self-defense
‘We have to be honest about that and that average of six crimes a day doesn’t give the impression that things are getting out of hand.
His comments come just days after Jayjon Burnett, 15, was shot and killed Friday afternoon during a dispute between two groups on a Far Rockaway A train in New York.
Keyondre Russell, 18, is being held without bail on charges of murder in connection with the murder, but claims he is the real victim – he says Burnett shot him first and acted in self-defense.
The latest public transit killings come after officials have repeatedly promised to flood subway platforms and provide more police, according to Adams’ Subway Safety Plan.
Adams added: “There are too many guns on the street, there is no condolence or comfort if you get shot in the subway or on the street.
“We’ve picked up murders, arrested gunmen, we’ll keep doing the job.
The NYPD is hunting a deranged villain who randomly pushed a man in front of an approaching train Saturday morning, forcing the Good Samaritans to rescue him with mere seconds left.
This is when the thug ran to the victim and pushed him into the path of the train before fleeing the station
“Our police have done a fantastic job, but everyone has to play their part.
“Judges should keep gunmen in jail. Lawmakers make sure we don’t make laws that allow them to return to our streets – we need to prosecute these cases
“There are too many gins on our streets, the ones on the streets are on the subway, they’re in our schools too.
“They are like innocent New Yorkers everywhere we go. There are too many guns on our streets.”
In January, a 40-year-old woman, Michelle Go, was murdered after being pushed in front of a train at Times Square Station.
Her accused attacker was sent to a mental institution after prosecutors refused to challenge a mental evaluation that found him unfit to stand trial.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said last month it would install cameras on all New York City subways at a cost of about $3.5 million.
The MTA pointed out that the homicide rate per million riders fell by 18 percent between 2021 and 2022, but acknowledged that “violence is never acceptable.”
In a statement, they said: “There is no way to comfort those who have lost loved ones, and with homicides falling 14% this year across the city, we are confident the NYPD will bring the same success to the transit system.” .’
