The sharpest signal in May 2026 is a sexual assault spike in Brooklyn CD11 — Bensonhurst, the single above-trend move in a month otherwise defined by broad declines. No prior combo currently sits at the top of the rankings — this is a fresh lead, not a recurring one. Vandalism is the structural story underneath, with below-trend readings across multiple neighborhoods.
Citywide volume is down 23.4% against the prior 12 months — 211,841 incidents against 276,658 in the year before. The mix skews heavily toward sustained and below-trend signals: 201 sustained-shift readings and 108 below-trend signals, with just one fresh spike. Vandalism ran below trend in Brooklyn CD16 — Brownsville / Ocean Hill, Manhattan CD12 — Washington Heights / Inwood, and Brooklyn CD15 — Sheepshead Bay, among others — making it the most broadly distributed category move this briefing.
The Bensonhurst sexual assault signal is the one reading that stands apart from the downward pattern across 59 neighborhoods. It is a single month's move, not yet a sustained trend, and the surrounding context — 311 total signals, almost all of them below-trend — makes it the exception rather than the rule. If the same move appears in June, it becomes a materially different story.
Sustained drops worth naming
Homicide ran below trend in the trailing 12 months — 38% down from the year before. Sustained shifts often precede a baseline reset; we surface them at the same prominence as spikes.
Public Analyst.ai, “May 2026 — New York,” archived snapshot.Permanent URL: /new-york/2026/may