The sharpest single-neighborhood signal in May 2026 is a sexual assault spike in Brooklyn CD11 — Bensonhurst, the only category in the entire briefing that produced a fresh above-trend reading. This is the first month Bensonhurst sexual assault has topped the citywide rankings. With no demoted lead to displace, it stands as the month's most distinctive finding against an otherwise broad pattern of decline.
Citywide volume is down 23.4% against the prior 12 months — 211,841 incidents versus 276,658 in the year before. The signal mix is heavily tilted toward sustained declines: 201 sustained-shift signals and 108 below-trend readings across 59 neighborhoods, against just one fresh spike. Vandalism is the category that moved most consistently downward, with Brooklyn CD16 — Brownsville / Ocean Hill, Manhattan CD12 — Washington Heights / Inwood, and Brooklyn CD15 — Sheepshead Bay all registering below-trend readings in the same month.
The structural picture for May 2026 is one of broad, entrenched decline rather than isolated movement. The Bensonhurst sexual assault signal is worth monitoring in the next reporting period — a single month above trend does not confirm a directional shift, and the citywide context remains one of the most lopsided drop-to-spike ratios in recent briefings. If the pattern holds in June, it becomes a sustained story; for now, it is one data point.
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