New York Crime Rate — December 2025

Sexual assault in Queens CD13 — Queens Village / Cambria Heights is the dominant signal this month, with a fresh spike leading all 126 tracked signals citywide. A second sexual assault spike in Bronx CD12 — Williamsbridge / Baychester sits directly behind it in the rankings. Two neighborhoods, same category, in the same briefing marks an unusual concentration worth tracking into January.

Citywide volume is down 5.5% against the prior 12 months — 266,005 incidents against 281,468. The signal mix across 59 neighborhoods is more balanced than recent months: 31 spikes against 36 below-trend signals and 58 sustained-shift signals. Beyond the two sexual assault signals, Brooklyn CD9 — South Crown Heights / Lefferts Gardens shows a fresh aggravated assault spike, and Queens CD6 — Forest Hills / Rego Park registers the same category.

This is a new configuration — no demoted lead, no carryover from prior months dominating the top of the rankings. The sustained-shift signals, which account for nearly half the total, suggest the multi-year decline in citywide volume has structural depth. The sexual assault clustering across two outer-borough districts is the one thread that didn't exist in prior briefings and warrants a close read in February's data.

Sustained drops worth naming

Arson ran below trend in the trailing 12 months — 33% down from the year before. Sustained shifts often precede a baseline reset; we surface them at the same prominence as spikes.