Teens arrested for subway surfing. Man arrested for setting sleeping women on fire in the F train. Subway shovers. Pick-pockets and robberies.
These are just some of the very real dangers that come with taking the New York City subway system, which many students and teachers within the Forest Hills High School community use. The recent wave of violent incidents has heightened concerns about subway safety, leading many to believe crime is on the rise.
When asked about her experience, Junior Samantha Lucas shared a recent unsettling encounter. “This guy [was] coming up next to me, and like, saying stuff in my ear.” One of her biggest fears is “getting pushed” by subway shovers, who have overtaken NYC in the past couple of years. “I usually wait on the stairs until the train comes.”
Freshman Rana Abdalla also notes that the people on the subway contribute to her feeling unsafe. “Creepy guys, homeless people, [drug addicts],” she shares.
The discomfort is unsettling for the daily commute to and from school. “I don’t like taking it alone. I take a friend … or change cars,” adds Aziza Kahramonova, a sophomore.
Abdalla describes the subway as “dirty, scary, and unsafe.”
The data from the NYPD’s Annual Year-in-Crime Press Conference tells a different story. Despite the public perception of increased crime, overall subway crime actually decreased by 3%.
However, Commissioner Jessica Tisc assured, “The subways will always be a bellwether for the perception of public safety in NYC,” during her opening remarks at the presser.
Despite the perceived increase in crime, the big takeaway from the annual presser has overall decreased by 5.4 % in 2024 compared to 2023. This decline coincides with a 3.8% rise in subway ridership last year, amounting to 1.2 million rides in total.
In fact the overall citywide crime rate dropped by 3%.
Despite these statistics, many people are confronted with crimes within the subway, affecting millions who are just going to school or work. Mayor Eric Adams acknowledges, “We know how NY feels each time they hear of a terrible incident that takes place in the city, how it impacts them,” he said. “Nothing is more horrific than watching a person run [over] to death on our subway system. We know how individuals feel when they hear about people shoved to the tracks for no reason at all. We know how it impacts us.”
In efforts to help New Yorkers feel safer riding the subway in their own city, Tisch has implemented more police officers in subway stations.
