NY has most dangerous public transit in America — but California tops the most deaths, data shows

New York state’s nationalist transit is nan astir vulnerable successful nan US, a caller study found.

Between 2021 and 2023, wide transit successful nan Empire State saw 23 deaths, 1,641 convulsive incidents and 1,759 injuries – for a hair-raising mean of 17.5 perilous incidents per 100,000 riders, individual wounded attorneys John Foy & Associates recovered successful its study of US Department of Transportation data.

Illinois was No. 2 connected nan database of astir vulnerable nationalist transit systems, pinch 13.3 incidents per 100,000 riders, followed by Minnesota (11), Massachusetts (8.1) and Pennsylvania (4.9). 

California – which was nan only authorities to grounds much mass-transit deaths than New York, pinch 31 – saw 4.4 perilous incidents per 100,000 riders. The slightest vulnerable transit states were Arizona and Washington each, pinch 2.6 vulnerable incidents per capita.

In New York City — location to nan MTA, nan largest nationalist proscription agency successful North America — subways unsocial saw a regular ridership of 3.2 cardinal from Jan. 5 to Jan. 8.

Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant, recalled nan frightful play successful nan Big Apple’s underground. 

“Over that three-, four-year play betwixt 2020 and 2024, we had conscionable arsenic galore murders arsenic we had done successful nan erstwhile 20 years successful nan New York City subway system,” recalled Giacalone, an adjunct professor astatine Penn State University-Lehigh Valley. 

In 2022, nan city subway strategy saw 10 murders – nan highest number successful 25 years. There had ne'er been much than 5 murders underground successful a azygous twelvemonth betwixt 1997 and 2020, according to NYPD data. 

During nan greeting unreserved connected April 12, 2022, madman Frank James, 62, lit a fume explosive and opened occurrence successful a packed subway car successful Brooklyn, shooting 10 group and injuring a full of 29.

James was sentenced to life successful situation for nan planned, race-fueled onslaught aboard nan N train successful Sunset Park – which petrified nan metropolis conscionable arsenic pandemic restrictions had eased.

More recently, an forbidden migrant allegedly torched a female to decease connected a Brooklyn subway.

Guatemalan autochthonal Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, is accused of mounting connected fire a sleeping Debrina Kawam, 57, past watching her burn, during nan terrifying Dec. 22, 2024 onslaught connected an F train.  

So acold this year, nan city’s transit strategy has seen 50% much rapes – pinch three, compared to 2 astatine this constituent past twelvemonth – and a 7% spike successful misdemeanor assaults (409 vs. 382). Overall, crime is down 18% — nan second-lowest level of subway crime successful 27 years, according to nan NYPD’s latest transit crime study and a section connection past week.

For nan first clip successful 7 years, location were nary murders successful nan transit strategy during nan first 4th of 2025, nan connection said, citing “a surge successful NYPD patrol of subway platforms and trains to combat crime and violence.”

Within a three-day play past month, 3 men – 1 of whom was believed to beryllium bum – died aft being struck by trains successful Manhattan.

“The metropolis subway strategy has decidedly taken a deed complete nan past respective years, and a batch of that is to laic astatine nan feet of [former mayor] Bill de Blasio and [former metropolis assembly speaker] Melissa Mark-Viverito and a mates different metropolis assembly members, who fundamentally decriminalized a bunch of things and removed constabulary from doing their jobs – yet turning [the transit system] into a large bum shelter,” Giacalone told The Post.