Assaults Rise In NYC Even As Violent Crime Falls: New NYPD Data

NEW YORK CITY — More New Yorkers, including cops, are being assaulted, beaten, punched and stabbed by their fellow city dwellers even as violent crime overall continued to decline, according to newly released NYPD crime statistics.

Murders and shootings fell 28 percent and 34 percent, respectively, during September compared to the same month last year, the data shows.

And five of seven major felonies dipped nearly 6 percent as well, a downward trend that has continued for nine months, officials said.

"New York City continues to see a significant, sustained reduction in violent crime," said NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, in a statement.

But one violent crime bucked the trend: felony assault.

The city saw roughly 2,300 felony assaults, a 4.5 percent increase compared to last September, the data shows.

Assaults on NYPD officers in part drove the increase, said Michael LiPetri, the department's chief of crime control strategies.

"Obviously, our enforcement is way up and, unfortunately, assaults on our police officers are up," he said.

Domestic violence also accounted for the rise in felony assaults, LiPetri said.

The stubborn rise in felony assaults was seen even in relatively peaceful neighborhoods such as the Upper East Side. And it coincided with a wave of TikTok videos from women who recounted recently being randomly punched by men on the street.

Grand larceny auto rose by 19.5 percent as well, despite NYPD officials' recent pledge to stop the wave of car thefts.