NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The New York City Transit system experienced a 50% surge in crime in September, according to a new report.
New NYPD data expected to be shared with the MTA board on Monday showed there were 96 grand larceny incidents in the subway system last month, according to a New York Post report.
Subway robbery also jumped by 18%, according to the report, going from 44 in August to 52 in September.
The increase in thefts fueled an over 25% increase in felonies committed in the system throughout the month of September, the Post noted.
Meanwhile, felony assaults continue to remain steady in the New York City transit system since a surge in May, when a slashing spree on the Lexington Avenue subway line left multiple straphangers injured.
The incident spurred Mayor Bill de Blasio to deploy 250 more police officers into the transit system, however, statistics expected to be released Monday show the move has done little to hinder crime.
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According to the Post, there were 34 felony assault incidents on the city’s subways in September, compared to 35 in August.
Police told the news outlet that there were no murder, rapes or burglaries in the system.
Multiple suspects in the attacks are still being sought, including a man who broke a woman’s nose while she was waiting for an E train, a man who stabbed another for accidentally bumping him and two men who attacked and robbed a subway rider in Washington Heights.
While the crimes have remained steady and some suspects remain on the run, the MTA did mark a milestone last month in combating crimes in the subway system when it announced that every subway station in the five boroughs is now equipped with security cameras.
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Meanwhile, an MTA spokesperson told the Post that the statistics expected to be release reflect a dramatic increase in subway ridership and the hard work of NYPD officers.
“The stats show what New Yorkers coming back to transit in record numbers know: subways are safer than most places in the city,” an MTA spokesman told the Post. “Crime came down this summer, and has stayed low, because the NYPD surged officers and the MTA put cameras in every station.”