PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — New crime statistics for last year on SEPTA show that serious crime was down to its lowest level on the system since 2015.
Overall, SEPTA reported a 6% drop in serious crimes in 2025, including homicides, aggravated assaults and thefts. This followed a 33% drop in 2024. Serious crimes were down in seven of eight categories – only robberies were up from 134 to 171.
SEPTA’s deputy police chief Jim Zuggi attributes the overall drop to increased enforcement of lower-level crimes like fare evasion and drug use.
“It’s become acceptable that people come on to our system and do these things – smoking, there’s been marijuana use and drug use on our trains – so we try to address that,” said Zuggi.
He also said officers having a more visible presence on the system has had an impact.
“We try to be extremely visible on the platforms and in the trains. When you see groups of police officers throughout the system, people that mean or intend to commit a crime, they’ll think twice because they just saw police,” said Zuggi.
He said fare evasion enforcement was up 48%, and quality of life enforcement up 12%. Transit police staffing is also at the highest level in a decade.
SEPTA said 2025 was also the second straight year that serious crime was below pre-pandemic levels.