This year, there’s been a concerning uptick in the number of homicides happening throughout the city’s subway system, seeing an increase of 60%. Despite crime rates generally receding in these areas, the number of fatalities has quite worryingly risen. NYPD reports show as many as eight deaths occurring in train cars and stations till Sept. 8, indicative of a clear rise when compared with the five instances from last year during the same time frame.
The rate of homicides this year appears to be moving towards the peak trend recorded just last year in 2022, marking a 25-year record high at ten deaths. The juxtaposition is quite stark considering the absence of more than five subway murders in a single year stretching from 1997 to 2020, as per the earliest publicly available NYPD records.
Jakoba Dockery, a 42-year-old city resident, tragically lost her husband Richard Henderson on the subway. He was shot dead in January while aboard a 3 train in Brooklyn, as he attempted to defuse a dispute among riders over loud music. Jakoba voiced her unease about the subway environment, implying that it had become a dangerous place to simply wait for a train.
The latest horrific killing overspread the news on Sept. 5, occurring past 11 p.m. The assailant shot Freddie Weston, a 47-year-old grocer, near the MetroCard booth at Brooklyn’s Rockaway Avenue station, as per police information and family members. Freddie, who was in transit to his job in College Point, could still have been alive if only there had been surveillance cameras located near the station’s ticket selling area, according to his bereaved sister Tina.
The rising murder count, Tina remarked with an emotionally heavy voice, continues in part due to the lack of surveillance in these areas. Despite several highly publicized programs designed to address the surge in early year subway crime, the number of murders remains disturbingly high. Heavily frequented stations including this one were expected to have better security measures following the deployment of 750 National Guardsmen and an additional 1,000 NYPD officers to monitor the subway network.
Interestingly, the total subway crime rates have witnessed nearly a 6% decrease when compared with this period in 2023. This includes an approximate 18% drop in thefts and a close-to-5% decrease in serious assaults, as shared by a spokesperson from NYPD. However, this reduction in crime hasn’t eased the general unease and worry among subway commuters, who fear their next ride may well be their last.
The spokesperson attributes this year’s overall decline in crime largely to extensive detective investigations into every major subway crime, along with proactive officer service in transit. Their relentless work led to the removal of 43 guns and 1,536 knives from the subway network in this year alone, recording the highest weapon seizure rates over the past decade.
Persistent violent crime, however, remains high despite this celebrated decrease – hovering noticeably above pre-pandemic levels. Such occurrences leave subway riders in constant apprehension, unsure if their next commute will turn deadly. The ‘Murder Express’, as some have called it, is a journey no one wishes to take but many can’t avoid.
The palpable fear among subway users continues to rise, as articulated by 68-year-old retiree Vickie Reeves during a rare subway trip from Times Square. Expressing her deep-seated concerns, she admitted her fear of encountering someone who might harm her, perhaps even push her in front of a moving train, highlighting the rampant manifestations of mental illness beneath the city streets.
Joseph Giacalone, an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, places blame for continued subway murders on a ‘fatigued’ police force, compounded by the loss of experienced transit officers due to retirement or resignation. He emphasized that generic patrolling won’t suffice for the subway, labelling it a distinctive and challenging field.
The impact on regular subway users is drastic, with some, like Dockery, deciding to completely abandon the service. Dockery, along with her daughter, can’t find the courage to take the subway any longer. Instead, she has resorted to using her own transportation, a 2025 Lexus NX 350, not just for personal errands, but also to transport her daughter to and from her high school basketball games.
Her disadvantaged experience is shared by many New Yorkers who have grown fearful and, even with its convenience, refuse to use the subway system. Dockery’s lamentation encapsulates the sentiment of countless others who, tormented by fear and horror, have sworn off subway commutes altogether. She speaks for those who refuse to risk their lives amidst the perceived danger and growing instances of mental illness.