Over half of all confirmed hate crimes in New York City in the first quarter of 2026 were antisemitic in nature, New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed in a press conference this weekend.
Confirmed hate crimes rose overall city-wide by 11.7 percent this quarter, with 55% of them confirmed identified as antisemitic (78 out of 143 crimes), despite Jews making up only approximately 10% of NYC’s population, Tisch added.
Her announcement comes as the NYPD changes its hate crime reporting to include, for the first time, two distinct sets of numbers: reported hate crimes (those flagged for investigation by the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force) and confirmed hate crimes (those confirmed by the task force).
After an incident is flagged as a possible hate crime, the HCTF investigates and determines, in consultation with the NYPD Legal Bureau, whether it constitutes a hate crime under New York State law.
If an incident is deemed a hate crime under the law, it will be categorized as a confirmed hate crime. The change in disclosure is designed to enhance transparency in hate-crime reporting.
For example, in March 2026, there were 42 reported hate crimes against Jews in the city, but only 32 were confirmed. This actually represented a decrease in antisemitic hate crimes compared to the same month in 2025, when there were 36.
NYC sees decrease in major crime
Outside of hate crimes, the city saw a 5.3% decrease in major crime and a significant 20.6% drop in burglaries, the second-lowest level in recorded history.
Tisch said the first quarter of 2026 saw the fewest murders and shooting incidents in recorded history.
“These results are driven by our precision policing strategy to go after guns, take down violent gangs, and put officers on foot posts where they are needed most,” he noted.
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has been in office since January 1, added, “The numbers tell a clear, indisputable story: Our approach to public safety is working.”