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Subway crime is up. The NYPD blames the cold weather.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Feb 18, 2026
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Courtesy of the MTA
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Feb 18, 2026
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Another example of the havoc the recent cold snap caused in New York City: Major crimes reported on the subway system rose 17% during the first five weeks of the year, according to NYPD data.
The uptick in crime is likely a result of more people relying on the subway system during the extreme cold, a police spokesperson said.
There were 246 major crime incidents on the subway in the first five weeks of 2026, compared with 210 for the same period a year earlier. Such crimes include felony assault and grand larceny. Total crime above-ground throughout the city dropped 7.5% during the same period.
The rise in subway crime could pose a new challenge for Mayor Zohran Mamdani, coming after last month’s snowstorm and subsequent freezing temperatures. Critics have pointed the finger at the Mamdani administration for its handling of the deaths of at least 26 people in the cold. New Yorkers have also complained about mounds of snow piles, slow trash and recycling pickups and power outages caused by salt corroding wires underground.
Paul Reeping, a public safety researcher with civic nonprofit Vital City, agreed with the NYPD’s assessment that the cold is to blame for higher transit crime.
“It makes complete sense and a logical sense that perhaps people who are committing these crimes are more likely to go underground right now,” Reeping said.
The bump in transit crime at the start of the year is a notable change in the system. Last year, overall major felonies underground were at their lowest point since 2009 — excluding the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. The number of felony assaults, however, was at the highest level on record since the NYPD started recording that data in 1997.
The MTA referred any crime data questions to the NYPD.
Reeping also said that getting New Yorkers into safety from the cold must be the administration’s priority and is so far one of its biggest obstacles. He said some solutions should include an expanded homeless outreach team and more supportive housing options for the homeless.
“That has always been a challenge and will be a challenge for a while and will be a challenge for the Mamdani administration,” Reeping said.
The NYPD data also shows there’s been a 15% decrease in fare evasion summonses issued by police officers in the subway system during the first six weeks of the year, compared to the same period last year. But a department spokesperson said overall, it’s the fourth-highest level ever recorded to start a year.
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MTA
new york city
public safety
Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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