Subway Sleeper Thefts Are One Of NYC's Few Rising Crimes: NYPD

NEW YORK CITY — Crime in New York City keeps falling, except for those committed by one type of criminal who targets sleeping or drunken subway straphangers: the "lush worker."

Or so said NYPD police officials Monday as they released January's crime statistics.

Nearly all major felonies fell 2.9 percent last month compared to January 2023, the data shows. The only exceptions were grand larceny auto — which have been rising for months, mostly because of thefts of vulnerable Hyundais and Kias — and grand larceny, officials said.

The 0.4 percent uptick in grand larceny stemmed from organized pickpocket teams and solitary "lush workers" lifting valuables from drunken or sleeping subway passengers, NYPD officials said.

"Our train system must remain safe," Mayor Eric Adams said Monday.

Transit crime increased by 70 reported incidents in January, compared to the same month last year, data shows.

Adams said transit crime still only accounts for 2 percent of overall crime in the city. He said the NYPD will focus on shifting officers to patrol where they're needed in the transit system.

"Let's be clear: New York City remained the safety big city in America," he said.