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NYPD stops reporting hate crimes still being probed, finds slight drop in anti-Jewish ones in February

Despite the new approach, 55% of the confirmed hate crimes in New York City in February targeted Jews.

NYPD
A New York City Police Department car. Credit: Photogeider/Pixabay.

Anti-Jewish hate crimes in New York City in February were down slightly compared to the prior month and to February 2025 but still represented more than 55% of all hate crimes in the city, according to new New York City Police Department data.

Jews were the targets of 21 of the 38 hate crimes reported in the city in February, the NYPD said. Much fewer hate crimes targeted Asians (1), blacks (4) and Muslims (1) or were based on religion (4) or sexual orientation (6), per the department.

The NYPD said that it is now reporting hate crime data in a different way.

“Previously, the department reported alleged hate crimes that were still under review,” it said. “The NYPD will now report hate crimes that have been investigated and officially confirmed as such by the Hate Crimes Task Force.”

“This updated methodology will provide a more accurate representation of confirmed hate crimes in the city,” it said.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many alleged hate crimes are still being investigated from February. (JNS sought comment from the NYPD.)

The 21 confirmed anti-Jewish hate crimes and the total number of 38 confirmed hate crimes in February was smaller than the 41 confirmed and alleged hate crimes in New York City in February 2025. Of those, 28 targeted Jews, or more than 68%. In February 2024, 14 of 24 hate crimes in the city targeted Jews, or 58%.

In January, anti-Jewish hate crimes (31) in New York City, during the first month of Zohran Mamdani’s mayorship, was up 182% compared to January 2025 (11).

Scott Richman, director of the Anti-Defamation League’s New York and New Jersey regional office, told JNS that “data is an essential tool for understanding and combating hate crimes.”

“We welcome transparency from the NYPD, though the public should know this methodology shift means any historical comparisons will require important context,” Richman said. “This new approach must also continue to provide insights to drive policy and protect the Jewish community.”

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Debra Nussbaum Cohen is the New York correspondent for JNS.org. She is an award-winning journalist, who has written about Jewish issues for The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and New York magazine, as well as many Jewish publications. She is also author of Celebrating Your New Jewish Daughter: Creating Jewish Ways to Welcome Baby Girls into the Covenant.
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