New York City has seen a record number of felony crimes in 2022, the highest figure in the past 15 years, according to police data.
The data from the New York Police Department (NYPD) recorded 172,852 felony crimes in the city last year—the highest figure since the department started sharing the data in 2006.
The number of felony crimes also increased by 20.4% compared to 2021, when 143,522 complaints were reported. In 2006, there were 171,318 complaints recorded.
“Things in a large city aren’t supposed to grow that much or go down that much in one year,” said Former NYPD supervisor Chris Hermann, now an assistant professor at Manhattan’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
“This is kind of like monumental kind of stuff,” he told The New York Post, “like once in a lifetime.”
Along with felony crimes, the Big Apple also saw a rise in major crimes and other felonies, including criminal mischief, criminal contempt, and dangerous weapons possession last year. There were 126.588 serious offenses committed, a 22.4% increase from the previous year.
This year is showing similar trends, with robberies, assaults, stolen cars, and burglaries increasing during the first month. Major crimes in New York City increased by 4.1% in January with 10,067 complaints filed, compared to 9,672 filed during the same period last year. The first month of the year saw a 14.9% increase in felony assaults, a 5.3% increase in robberies and burglaries, and a 5.1% increase in grand larceny autos compared to the previous year.
