Oct. 21, 2025—Mayor Eric Adams, Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos and MOME Commissioner Pat Swinney Kaufman launched the sixth annual “Battle of the Boroughs,” a Minecraft Education esports contest inviting K–12 students to reimagine Pier 6 at the MADE Bush Terminal Campus in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The city will baseline $60,000 to support technology needs for participants and educators; team submissions are open now through Jan. 16, 2026, via the New York City Public Schools website. Top entries will advance to in-person borough qualifiers and a Mayor’s Cup Final at the 2026 New York City Video Game Festival. The program aligns with City Hall’s digital-games push as the local industry grows to roughly 380 studios, 7,900 jobs and an estimated $2.6 billion in economic impact.
Mayor Adams, Chancellor Aviles-Ramos, Commissioner Kaufman Kick Off 2026 “Battle of the Boroughs” E-Sports Competition
– New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos, and Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) Commissioner Pat Swinney Kaufman today launched the first round of the sixth annual New York City Minecraft Education Battle of the Boroughs Esports Competition (BOTB). Through BOTB, K-12 students compete to build a more inclusive, sustainable, future-ready New York City in Minecraft while developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Additionally, for the first time, the Adams administration will baseline $60,000 for the annual competition to support critical technology needs for participants and educators. Submissions for student teams are open now and close on January 16, 2026. Information on how to join the challenge, as well as entry-level training courses for educators to bring digital gaming into their classrooms, is available on the New York City Public Schools website.
“We’re not just making sure our students are prepared to join the digital gaming industry but training them to lead it — that is what this competition is all about,” said Mayor Adams. “By encouraging students to learn computer science, build critical thinking skills, and explore sustainable design, we are both engaging our young people today and laying the foundation for good-paying careers after they graduate. Congratulations to last year’s winners and good luck to this year’s teams!”
“The annual Battle of the Boroughs competition showcases the incredible potential of our students when they’re given the tools and the platform to thrive,” said Public Schools Chancellor Aviles-Ramos. “The new funding set aside by New York City Public Schools to support this initiative will help us to celebrate and lift the creativity and innovation of our young people even further. I’m proud of every student who participates, and I’m grateful to the educators and partners who continue to support them every step of the way.”
“The annual Minecraft Education Battle of the Boroughs competition is back, with the earliest entry date yet, so that even more students across the five boroughs get an opportunity to enter and take a meaningful step towards an education and career in the city’s burgeoning digital games industry,” said MOMECommissioner Kaufman. “The Adams administration and our office are committed to supporting digital game development through the Battle of the Boroughs competition leading to the Mayor’s Cup Final and the second annual New York City Video Game Festival in the spring of 2026.”
“The Battle of the Boroughs empowers the next generation of New Yorkers to use digital gaming technology to reimagine city spaces, inspiring NYCEDC and our continuous revitalization work,” said New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) President & CEO Andrew Kimball. “The competition is an outstanding opportunity to engage students across the five boroughs in city planning, digital innovation, and sustainability, and NYCEDC looks forward each year to seeing the visionary concepts from our city’s young minds.”
BOTB — which was developed in partnership with Minecraft Education and builds on Mayor Adams’ Digital Gaming Initiative, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and PlaNYC: Getting Sustainability Done (GSD) — is a scholastic digital gaming competition in which elementary, middle, and high school students compete to design future-ready city spaces. Through the competition, students explore the five boroughs, learn more about New York City’s sustainability plans, and develop valuable computer science and critical thinking skills.
Mayor Adams today also announced the prompt for the first round of this year’s competition: to reimagine Pier 6 at the MADE Bush Terminal Campus in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. In August 2025, the Adams administration broke ground on a transformation of the actual Pier 6, which will create an engaging new open space for community residents and tenants of the MADE Bush Terminal Campus. The campus offers modern facilities and gathering space to promote manufacturing and business activity along the Sunset Park waterfront. In the first round of the competition, students are encouraged to create alternative designs for the project. Top submissions will compete at an in-person qualifying round in each borough. The BOTB Mayor’s Cup Final will take place during the 2nd Annual New York City Video Game Festival in the spring of 2026, presented by MOME.
As part of today’s announcement, Mayor Adams also celebrated last year’s winning student teams:
The city’s digital gaming industry has continued to grow under the Adams administration. Since 2019, the number of game development studios in New York City has increased by 90 percent, to 380 studios today; the number of industry jobs has increased by four percent, to 7,900 jobs; and the economic impact of the industry has increased by 30 percent, to $2.6 billion.
“Battle of the Boroughs has proven that, when you give students a platform like Minecraft to show their creativity and critical thinking skills, they come together in amazing ways to solve complex challenges,” said Allison Matthews, head, Minecraft Education at Mojang Studios. “In this new AI era, these skills have never been more important. We are thrilled to be part of this year’s kickoff with Microsoft and can’t wait to see what’s crafted during the competition.”
Mayor Eric Adams on Oct. 14 signed Executive Order 57 creating the New York City Office of Digital Assets and Blockchain, the first municipal office of its kind in the U.S., and appointed policy veteran Moises Rendon as executive director. The office will promote responsible use of crypto and blockchain, coordinate with the city’s Office of Technology and Innovation and other agencies, and engage state and federal partners. Early priorities include assembling an industry advisory commission, attracting talent and investment, expanding access for unbanked residents, and bolstering public education on risks such as scams—all aimed at reinforcing New York’s position as a global finance-and-tech hub.
Mayor Adams Takes Action to Position New York City as Global Capital of Digital Assets
– New York City Mayor Eric Adams today signed Executive Order 57 and established the New York City Office of Digital Assets and Blockchain. The first-ever mayoral office of its kind in the nation positions New York as the global capital of digital assets, including cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies. The office will promote the responsible use of digital assets and blockchain technologies, grow economic opportunities for New Yorkers, attract world-class talent, and reinforce the city’s standing as the world’s hub for financial and technological innovation. Mayor Adams also today appointed Moises Rendon to lead the office as executive director. As its first action, Executive Director Rendon will form a commission of leaders in the digital assets space to advise on the office’s work.
“From day one, our administration has kept New York City ahead of the curve because when we embrace technology, we deliver a safer, more affordable city,” said Mayor Adams. “In 2022, I became the first American mayor to convert my first three paychecks into crypto and this past May, our administration hosted the first-ever crypto summit at Gracie Mansion. Today, with the nation’s first mayoral agency focused solely on digital assets and blockchain technology, we continue to signal the opportunities this new form of technology can bring to New York City. Our city has always been the center of innovation, and we’re embracing the technologies of tomorrow today. The age of digital assets is here, and with it comes the chance to grow our economy, attract world-class talent, expand opportunities for underbanked communities, and make government more user-friendly. I’m looking forward to working closer with Moises Rendon as we help make New York City the tech capital of the world.”
“New York City has remained the global center of innovation for decades due to our willingness to embrace new, emerging technologies,” said First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro. “With the launch of the New York City Office of Digital Assets and Blockchain, New York City is reaffirming its role as a leader in the financial and technology sectors to ensure that working-class New Yorkers are first in line for game-changing economic opportunities of the future and efficient delivery of government services. And Moises Rendon is uniquely qualified to guide New York City through this new frontier of technology, which will, once again, result in New York City growing its economy, delivering real economic benefits to underserved communities, and attracting the world-class talent that makes us the envy of the world.”
“New York City’s future as a global finance center and municipal governance leader depends on our ability to capitalize on the enormous opportunities presented by emerging technologies such as digital assets and blockchain,” said New York City Chief Technology Officer Matt Fraser. “Today’s announcement affirms our place at the forefront of this technological revolution and showcases the mayor’s bold, forward-looking vision to make New York City the crypto capital of the globe. This office ensures that we’re partnering with the brightest minds across the fintech sphere and empowering city agencies to harness the transformative potential of digital assets and blockchain for the benefit of 8.5 million New Yorkers.”
“Mayor Adams’ creation of this new office proves that the future is now for digital assets and blockchain in New York City,” said Mayor’s Office of Digital Assets and Blockchain Executive Director Moises Rendon. “I am honored to lead the nation’s first municipal office dedicated to successfully and responsibly deploying these technologies. I look forward to collaborating with CTO Fraser, city agency partners, and private-industry leaders to develop policies and programs that make our government more accessible, transparent, and innovative for New Yorkers in the years ahead.”
The Office of Digital Assets and Blockchain will promote long-term economic growth, ensuring that digital assets strengthen the city’s economy, including by:
Fostering innovation and development while guiding the responsible development of cryptocurrency and blockchain ecosystems in New York City.
Coordinating efforts between the digital asset industry and government, serving as a bridge to encourage responsible innovation and alignment across stakeholders.
Working in close collaboration with the New York City Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) while also coordinating citywide efforts across agencies, ensuring alignment of policies, services, and digital asset initiatives.
Engaging with state and federal partners to promote policies that make New York City more welcoming to blockchain and crypto initiatives that add value and comply with laws and regulations.
Promoting inclusion and access, particularly for unbanked and underbanked communities, by supporting safer ways to save money, access resources, and build resilience against inflation.
Educating and protecting the public through initiatives that help New Yorkers understand the risks of digital assets, including campaigns to raise awareness of scams, fraud, and consumer protections.
Attracting world-class talent and investment, ensuring New York remains globally competitive in financial innovation and technological development.
Supporting nonpartisan, policy-driven legislation, ensuring the office remains focused on sound policy and the delivery of tangible benefits to New Yorkers across all communities.
Through these efforts, the Office of Digital Assets and Blockchain will help secure New York City’s leadership in the digital economy, expand opportunities for its residents, and build a foundation of responsible innovation, trust, inclusion, and growth. The office will allow New York City to demonstrate its leadership in embracing innovation while safeguarding the interests of its residents.
About Moises Rendon
Moises Rendon is a digital assets and blockchain policy expert with extensive experience advising federal, local, and international stakeholders. He currently serves as policy advisor for digital assets and blockchain at OTI, where he leads citywide research and strategic initiatives to explore blockchain’s potential for improving government operations.
Previously, Rendon served as a director for the Washington, D.C. office of the Americas Society/Council of the Americas and was a policy consultant for the U.S. Department of State, United States Agency for International Development, and private-sector clients on fintech and economic trends. Rendon holds a Master of Laws degree in International Business and Economic Law from Georgetown University Law Center and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Andrés Bello Catholic University in Venezuela.
Executive Director Rendon will report directly to Chief Technology Officer Matt Fraser.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced an $8.5 million pilot, CRIB—Creating Real Impact at Birth—to move more than 300 pregnant New Yorkers into stable housing before delivery using CityFHEPS vouchers or Pathway Home subsidies, part of a broader $650 million homelessness and mental-health plan. The initiative targets a persistent problem—over 2,000 babies were born in city shelters in 2024—while building on CityFHEPS, now aiding 60,000 households. Adams also introduced “New York City Baby Boxes,” $200 kits of essentials for about 7,000 families delivering at Kings County, Elmhurst, Lincoln and Jacobi hospitals. Officials said the paired measures aim to cut red tape, prevent shelter entry, and improve early health and bonding outcomes for parents and infants.
Mayor Adams Launches Two Signature Programs to Make Life More Affordable for New Mothers and Families, Avoid Shelter and Poverty
Mayor Eric Adams: Really really proud and happy to be here today. This is something that Deputy Mayor Williams-Isom joined us and we continued this important initiative, our CRIB program. It’s unimaginable when you think about it, in the city for far too long, mothers were giving birth to babies and then returning back to shelters. And we were clear under this administration that we were not going to continue that system of just systemic poverty and just a way of stating that we as New Yorkers and the government, we are not concerned about breaking the clear cycles of poverty.
You know Archbishop Desmond Tutu had a quote that I always remember, “We spend a lifetime pulling people out of the river, no one goes upstream and prevents them from falling in the first place.” And we have professionalized pulling people out of the river. Today, this announcement of CRIB is how we’re going to prevent them from falling in the first place.
Having a child should be the greatest day of one’s life. I remember watching Jordan when he was born and how proud I was and I knew the awesome responsibility of being a dad. But it was a proud moment for me and it’s definitely the way a million of New Yorkers should feel when they give birth to a child. And on that day, you should not have to worry about where you’re going to take your baby to. You should not have to worry about [whether] you’re going to return to an environment that’s not conducive to a child upbringing.
You should not have to worry about whether your child will grow up on the verge of homelessness or in a home. Nothing is more important to our city’s future than making sure every young person, they’re ready for the future that’s ahead of them. And that starts with a place for them to live the moment they’re born. And that’s what we’re delivering with the launch of our new pilot project CRIB, an initiative that aims to create real impact at birth by putting pregnant New Yorkers on a path to permanent housing.
This is an $8.5 million program that will provide pregnant New Yorkers with housing vouchers so they can quickly move into stable homes before the child is born. And earlier this year, in our State of the City address, we made a commitment that no child should ever be born into our shelter system. And that is what CRIB is all about. It’s part of the $650 million plan to tackle homelessness and severe mental illness and to ensure New Yorkers have a safe, clean place to come home to.
In fact, by ensuring mothers and babies do not enter a shelter after leaving the hospital, we are breaking the cycle of poverty and housing instability before it starts. In 2024 alone, over 2,000 babies were born in New York City shelters. Just think about that for a moment. Over 2,000. That’s 2,000 too many. And with every housing voucher that this CRIB program will give to families, it will connect New Yorkers while diverting pregnant parents from shelter and improving their health services and outcomes.
So that our most vulnerable New Yorkers can find the affordable housing they need and get the start in life that they deserve. With CRIB, we are ensuring that families are supported and are able to live in a city that is safe and affordable. This is also another example of how this administration is cutting through the red tape of bureaucracy to give the resources to families when they need it. And that often prevents people from getting government services in a timely manner.
CRIB doesn’t just further our mission to make our city the best place to raise a family. It builds on a record of doing so. Since coming to office, when you think about it, how we have moved people out of homelessness into permanent housing, and a record number of individuals in shelters, with nearly 37,500 New Yorkers moving into subsidized units last fiscal year alone.
An awesome job and responsibility of Commissioner Wasow Park and her team. They have really leaned into breaking this record of getting people into permanent housing. Even when we were facing an asylum seeker and a migrant crisis with 237,000 migrants and asylum seekers, over 90 percent have gone on to the next step of their journey. Not one child or family slept on the streets of the City of New York, and history is going to be kind to that record when we start reflecting on how great this administration has done when it came down to people in need
Starting a family is one of the greatest joys one should have. But barriers and negative reactions have prevented that joy from being what it should be. So we are not just ensuring that pregnant mothers have housing, we’re making sure that families have the support they need. And earlier this year, we launched our New York City Baby Boxes, which sends families home from hospital with vital supplies and resources, including diapers and wipes, clothing, games and guys, and what to expect after giving birth.
These items that we see here, trust me when I tell you, it goes a long way when you don’t have to determine what you will put on your table to eat and buy the supplies for your babies. This is a great way to start off with your child and the support and information that they need. New York City Baby Boxes will reach approximately 7,000 families across our public hospital system. 7,000 New York families will be leaving the hospital with diapers and clothing and other supplies.
7,000 that can have peace of mind, that they have the resources they need to get an early start. And when you add this with what Deputy Commissioner Mark Stewart and Community Affairs and the Police Department with his various baby supplies that he has given out to over 20,000 families in the city. It is how every agency is on board for doing what is right for the children and families of the city. We’re helping ease the financial stress of new families and making New York City more affordable for them.
Our children are the next generation and our next generation starts now. Many times and far too often we look at these stats and create them as just numbers on the pieces of paper. But it’s not. It’s individuals and far too often we have denied those individuals the access to government that they deserve. And nothing personifies that more than our next speaker, Tytiana Mitchell. She’s a queer participant and her baby is going to have the early start in life that they deserve. I’m going to bring in Tytiana.
Tytiana Mitchell: My name is Tytiana Mitchell. I’m 25 years old. I am a lifelong New Yorker. I live in Queens, New York. And I recently fell through rough times and had to go into the shelter in mid-September. I am currently three months pregnant and I am excited to start my new chapter in my life. But I know I also need stable housing to care for my baby. When I went into the PATH Intake Center run by the Department of Homeless Services, I was immediately greeted by people who wanted to help.
They told me that because I am pregnant, I am eligible for a new program called CRIB that specializes in helping pregnant women like me. They let me know that I could move in with a family member who received support to house me and my growing family or get a CityFHEPS voucher so I can afford my own housing.
The program has been great in moving to help me quickly and really showed me that they care about me. I work a seasonal job and I am currently on interviews to get full-time work. With the support of the city and the Adams Administration, I am excited [about] what my future will hold for me and my baby and my partner, Jhevon, who is here with me today. And now we’ll be introducing Commissioner Wasow Park.
Mayor Adams: Hold on, hold on. That’s your boo? Come on up here, man. You should be up here with us. Come on. Love it. Go ahead, say a few words, man. Always trying to leave the men out.
Jhevon Higgins: What I would like to say is thank you to the Adams [administration], [Mayor] Adams, [and] commissioner because the steps that we take and the life that we live in this New York City, we know it’s not always easy. It’s a rough path that we have to deal with, but with the help of everybody that’s a part of the system, I think that we have a better chance of getting there.
Mayor Adams: Good luck to you. Thank you. Boy or girl?
Higgins: [Inaudible.]
Commissioner Molly Wasow Park, Department of Social Services: Good morning. Having a baby is both a wonderful life moment and immensely challenging. My baby is now twenty, but I still remember very distinctly both the joys and the stresses of those first few months. That time is profoundly important, both for the family and for the baby. The instability and, frankly, trauma of homelessness can have lasting impacts on an infant.
And with over 2,000 babies born in shelters in 2024, there’s no bigger way to impact a child’s first days on this earth than to ensure the child is born into a stable home. With CRIB creating real impact at birth, we’re working creatively and strategically to break the cycle of infant homelessness. Our goal is to identify the best tools to connect parents facing homelessness to permanent housing in real time so that their babies will be born into stability.
CRIB is a pilot to study the impact of housing stability on the newest of New Yorkers by providing expecting mothers housing support to avoid entering shelter. Through the pilot program, DSS will identify more than 300 pregnant people who are applying for shelter and assign them to a housing subsidy, either the rental assistance program CityFHEPS or Pathway Home, which pays people to stay with friends or family. This will allow them to more quickly move into stable homes before their children are born.
The pilot builds off our experience serving families over many years. For example, during COVID, the number of families with children entering the shelter system dropped significantly. One of the reasons for this is that substantial federal income support meant that families could afford to stay together. We know that the city has a historically low vacancy rate, and it’s hard to go out and find an apartment.
So we’re looking to see if we can support people to stay with their friends and families in a moment of great change for them with Pathway Home. And as for CityFHEPS, DSS helped nearly 32,000 individuals obtain permanent homes or stay stably housed through CityFHEPS in 2025, reflecting a threefold increase in the number of new households using the voucher since the launch of the program.
Today, more than 60,000 households or more than 136,000 New Yorkers are using CityFHEPS for their housing. This reflects a more than 200 percent growth in the program since its launch and makes CityFHEPS the second largest rental assistance program in the country. Through CRIB, we are looking to evaluate these two different models to see which one best helps pregnant people either avoid shelter altogether or have very short shelter stays so that we minimize the number of babies born in shelters.
Thanks to Mayor Adams, this is an innovative program that we anticipate will lead to improved outcomes for families and babies during a transformative and precious, yet also deeply vulnerable time in their lives. I want to say a big thank you to the DSS staff who took my crazy idea and turned it into reality, and particularly to the two deputy mayors who are here who have championed the work from the very beginning. And now it is my great pleasure to introduce New York City Health + Hospitals Chief Women’s Health Officer, Dr. Wendy Wilcox. Thank you.
Dr. Wendy Wilcox, Chief Women’s Health Officer, New York City Health + Hospitals: Good morning and thank you. Mr. Mayor, deputy mayors, thank you all who are here for joining us at New York City Health + Hospitals Kings County today for this special announcement. My name is Dr. Wendy Wilcox. I’m the inaugural Chief Women’s Health Officer for New York City Health + Hospitals. I also was previously chief of service here at OBGYN because I am an obstetrician gynecologist. So in case you need anything, I know it’s too early, but we’ll see.
We know that the first few months of parents and babies’ lives together are extremely important. The less that they have to worry about some of the essentials, the more time they have together to bond. That bonding is incredibly important for the lifetime health of both the baby and the mother. Relieving this stress is so necessary for a future of health and for the health of the entire family. That’s why these baby boxes are so important to birthing families. Not only do they take the burden off of new parents, allowing the time to care and bond with their newborn, but also to take stress out of their lives.
The baby boxes, along with the CRIB program that you just heard about, are to make sure that all of those outside stressors will be relieved. These baby boxes are going to be available for all birthing families. You heard me. All birthing families who deliver at our four sites that have the most deliveries within the system. These would be Kings County, Elmhurst, Lincoln, and Jacoby. I want to thank the mayor and the deputy mayors for their commitment to New York City Health + Hospitals and the families of New York City.
I also want to thank Welcome Baby and the United Way, as well as both the City Hall teams and the central office women’s health and communications teams for really making this become a reality. We know that New York City loves babies, and just in case you had any doubt, New York City loves babies. We know that this will program the baby boxes and the CRIB program will make a difference. And now, I will introduce Deputy Mayor Suzanne Miles-Gustave.
Deputy Mayor Suzanne Miles-Gustave, Health and Human Services: Thank you so much. Good morning. It is such a pleasure to be here with all of our Health + Hospital heroes. Wonderful room to be in. But from day one, I think you heard the mayor say, the Adams administration has made supporting children and families a core focus, not just a policy priority, but as a reflection of our values. Project CRIB is a powerful example of what it looks like when we bring our health and social services systems into alignment, treating housing not as separate from health, but as essential to it.
We know that the conditions into which a child is born shapes everything that follows. Development, health, family stability, even long-term opportunities. When a newborn enters the world into shelter, that child and their parents are already facing trauma, stress, and barriers to care. With CRIB, our Creating Real Impact at Birth, we are piloting an approach that meets families at the exact moment when coordinated support can make the greatest difference. It’s smart government, but it’s also deeply human government.
This initiative reflects our administration’s belief that early intervention works, that prevention is powerful, and that health and housing outcomes improve when we connect people to the right services and resources at the right time, before [a] crisis hits. It also reflects a broader shift we’re leading across city government, and that’s integrating care, moving away from fragmented systems toward ones that see families holistically, not as cases or numbers, but as New Yorkers who deserve to thrive.
A thanks to our partners at DSS, to our healthcare providers here at H + H, and to Mayor Adams for working to give every child a strong, stable start at life. This is really what it means to put families first. And I have to give a huge, huge, huge shout-out to my predecessor, for whom this would not be possible without her vision and commitment. And I want to bring former Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom up to say a few words.
Former Deputy Mayor Anne Williams‑Isom: Good afternoon, everyone. Yes, my title was former deputy mayor, but ten weeks ago I got a new title. The title is Gigi Anne. We had our first grandchild, ten weeks ago. My whole life I have been a child advocate, so I know all the research. I have seen the data. I have three children of my own. But I will tell you that seeing my daughter and her son-in-law these past two months, months right before giving birth, has given me a refresher course that I didn’t realize I needed, about how vulnerable you are, how fragile, and frankly, how sacred this time is.
And so it has been so important for me to come from my Gigi duty, to come and to tell you, I spent so much time talking about adverse childhood experiences. And we study all the negative stuff. We study what happens if a child has a death in the family, or if they experience homelessness. But we know what works. We act like we’re on Mars. Was it surprising [to] you to hear that if a child is born into [a] shelter that that is traumatic?
I saw my daughter and my husband and I picked her up with flowers and all kinds of stuff, and I saw that glaze in her eyes because of what she was going through. And she was going through a beautiful apartment on the Upper West Side with people to help her. And the child, a 33 years old lawyer, looked like she [was a] deer in the headlights. What is it that we don’t understand? She had complications with breastfeeding. And I didn’t know what to do, but I called my 95-year-old mom and I was like, “Mom, how do we do this?”
And people that we could call. I don’t even want to call it a service. I want to call it support because it is something that we all need, no? Yes? And so we sit up here and we act like this is an amazing thing. But to say something so profoundly like no child should be born in a shelter, when the mayor said that, we all kind of went like, “Hh yeah, that’s nice.” You guys should clap for that. That is a bold vision of saying that this is the way the world is, but we can do something different. Yes? And we can do it together.
We talked about commitment. We talked about what the science says, which is why I love this so much. But we need to say the word love. If we loved all children like I love Noel, we would make sure that they have all of this and more. And it is possible for us to do that. Noel’s middle name is Ijeoma, which means safe journey. Her dad is from Nigeria. And Ijeoma’s safe journey doesn’t mean when she goes to school or when she gets a good early childhood program or when she goes into a good college. It means from the moment she’s born. I’m going to say one last thing.
When I go into the room and she hears my voice, she’s ten weeks old. She doesn’t know me from a hole in the wall. But she knows that someone is coming to help her, that when she cries, someone will be there for her to pick her up to comfort her, to give her a bottle that’s the right temperature, to hand it to her mom. You guys, we can do this. We can support moms and these fabulous dads that are here to do better for our children if we want a better world. I want to say thank you to all of the folks at the Department of Social Services, Health + Hospitals, Department of Health, all of you, because it’s a crazy time.
But what you do is you continue to put your head down. In the midst of, like the mayor used to say, “Block out the noise and just do what you need to do.” And we see that and we appreciate it. Lastly, I want to say something about Mayor Adams. We can say a lot about Mayor Adams. What I will say is that what I have always admired is his commitment, his compassion, and his superpower, which is his proximity to pain.
When there was any situation, whether it was a homeless person, a person with severe mental illness, he doesn’t go away from it, he doesn’t lean back from it, he leans into it. Sometimes I was like, we need to lean back, I don’t want to do that, please. He was just talking about the asylum seekers, and I feel like I have a post-traumatic stress system. But he leans in, and so I appreciate you dearly for all that you have done, and especially for the people that we love and the folks that are the most vulnerable in this city. God bless you all and thank you very much.
Mayor Adams: Thank you. I’m looking around the room and I’m seeing the faces of this amazing hospital. Sheldon, thanks so much for allowing us to host this here. As we were walking up the steps, Sheldon was sharing with me, the chief executive officer was sharing with me, you had 102 percent capacity, and you’re seeing the byproducts of COVID. Many of our young people are dealing with severe mental health issues. They’re finally coming out and talking about it. And so I just want to say thank you.
This hospital, I represented you as the state senator, as the borough president. You have always been on the ground, and your staff here is just amazing. Whenever we call on you, you’re always there, and we cannot thank you enough. This is a quality hospital in a community that needs quality care. I’m so glad what the deputy mayor stated. We have just put so many things in place to build on. We are leaving this city in good care, folks.
What this administration has done, whomever comes next, they need to build on what we have done. We’re handing off in this relay of life. No one runs the whole relay. There’s a team behind it. The baton we’re handing off. We’re giving everyone a great lead, a great foundation. We cannot mess this up. We can’t go backwards. We have to continue to lift up children and families in the city. So we’ll ask a few questions before I bounce.
Question: What’s the approximate value of the baby box?
Mayor Adams: H + H, do we have approximate values? You come up to the microphone.
Sarah Gould Steinhardt, Executive Director, Welcome Baby USA: I’m Sarah with Welcome Baby. The city is investing about $200 in each of these boxes for families who need them.
Question: So a few questions. On the baby box, are they customized to the mother? Because every mother is different when they’re pregnant and for their child. I also was wondering about the CityFHEPS voucher. Those people that already have vouchers complain that it’s difficult to get into apartments. So what’s the work being done so that the mother actually gets in before she’s due? And then I heard it’s a pilot program. Does that mean it’s only going to go to the end of this year or it’s going to be able to be funded into the next year?
Steinhardt: I can talk about the first question. These are the core essentials that really every birthing family needs when they bring a baby home from the hospital. So this really does satisfy all of those basic needs of a newborn and a postpartum mother in those first four weeks and, frankly, beyond.
Commissioner Wasow Park: So you’re absolutely right that the tightness of the New York City housing market is an immense challenge for everybody, and that’s one of the reasons why we are really testing two different housing pathways. There’s CityFHEPS vouchers, but we’re also working with Pathway Home, which is a program that helps cover costs when people are staying with friends or family.
We are really structuring this so that we understand what works best for parents when they are on a very specific timeline for getting housing. And I think at least one theory is that Pathway Home may be a good interim solution to help people address the fact that we do have a 1.4 percent vacancy rate in the city. With respect to the pilot, it has been funded over a five-year period.
Mayor Adams: That’s why we have to build more housing. That’s why we zoned the city for 426,000 new units of housing with our City of Yes program, the most comprehensive housing program in the history of the city. That’s why we built more housing in year one, year two, and year three in the history of the city. Our program is more than 12 years of Bloomberg, eight years of de Blasio combined.
We did it in three and a half years. That’s why more people are participating in the FHEPS voucher program, getting housing than any other administration in the history of the city. 3,500 people removed out of street homelessness into permanent housing, 1,000 off our subway system. We did it. And now the next guys have to do it. Thank you. Thank you all.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams lauded votes by the Council’s Land Use and Zoning committees to advance his Jamaica Neighborhood Plan, sending the Queens rezoning to the full Council later this month. Framed as a bid to jump-start housing and jobs in a key transit hub, the proposal would map the city’s largest Mandatory Inclusionary Housing zone across 230 blocks and is projected to unlock thousands of units, including permanently affordable homes. The plan also commits hundreds of millions of dollars to sewer upgrades aimed at reducing flooding. Adams cast the move as part of his broader pro-housing agenda to clear outdated rules and speed construction, while thanking Speaker Adrienne Adams, Land Use Chair Rafael Salamanca Jr., Zoning Subcommittee Chair Kevin Riley, and Councilmembers James Gennaro and Nantasha Williams for their support.
Mayor Adams’ Statement After City Council Committee Votes to Advance Jamaica Neighborhood Plan
– New York City Mayor Eric Adams today released the following statement after the New York City Council Land Use and Zoning Committees voted in favor of the Adams administration’s Jamaica Neighborhood Planopens in a new tab, moving it on to a vote by the full Council:
“With its rich history and diversity, Jamaica represents so much of what makes New York City the greatest city in the world. As a bustling commercial and transit center in Queens, it’s exactly where we should be building new homes and creating high-paying jobs. But unfortunately, Jamaica’s zoning has curtailed new housing opportunities and limited new businesses, making it harder for working-class families to stay in their community. It’s past time we changed that.
“With today’s vote, we’re one step closer to bringing forth an even more thriving and vibrant Jamaica where New Yorkers of all income levels can thrive. Spread out over 230 blocks, this plan will be the largest Mandatory Inclusionary Housing zone ever mapped in New York City, unlocking thousands of new homes, permanently affordable homes, and jobs. Furthermore, this plan reflects our commitment to a more resilient future, investing hundreds of millions of dollars in upgraded sanitary sewer infrastructure to reduce flooding and help this community weather future storms.
“When it comes to housing, our administration is doing more than talking about it. We’re taking action every single day, cleaning up outdated zoning rules to get shovels in the ground and folks into new homes. Whether it’s crafting neighborhood plans like this one, passing the most pro-housing zoning reform in city history, or shattering affordable housing records year after year after year, we are proud to be the most pro-housing administration in city history.
Thank you to Council Speaker Adams, Land Use Committee Chair Salamanca, Jr., Zoning Subcommittee Chair Riley, Councilmember Gennaro, and Councilmember Williams for their support for this important proposal and for working with our administration to build the homes that New Yorkers need. We look forward to a full vote later this month and bringing this ambitious plan to fruition.”
— New York City joined 73 other local governments in an Oct. 7, 2025 amicus brief backing Oregon in Oregon v. Trump, asking the Ninth Circuit to uphold a district court order blocking the Trump administration’s September deployment of National Guard troops to Portland. The coalition argues Washington overstepped its authority under 10 U.S.C. §12406, saying there was no invasion or rebellion to justify dispatching roughly 200 troops over local objections. City officials warn such deployments disrupt policing, chill commerce and shift costs to taxpayers—citing prior bills of $134 million in Los Angeles and an estimated $10 million in Oregon. The group frames Guard use as a last resort, not a tool for routine civil unrest, while the federal government seeks an immediate stay of the district court’s Oct. 4 temporary restraining order.
City of New York Takes New Action Opposing Federal Government’s Military Deployment in American Cities
– The City of New York — as part of a coalition of 74 localities from around the nation — has filed a new amicus brief supporting Oregon’s ongoing case against the federal government’s unlawful deployment of the National Guard in Portland. In the brief, the coalition urges the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to affirm a district court ruling in Oregon v. Trump, which enjoined the federal government from deploying federal troops in Portland. The coalition warns against the Trump administration’s plans to deploy the National Guard at “anytime, anywhere, for any reason — based on nothing more than sporadic incidents of conflict or being a disfavored jurisdiction.” The coalition highlights the harms to local sovereignty, to local peace and tranquility, and to local economies from the federal government’s deployment of the National Guard to American cities on pretextual and political grounds.
“New York City is proud to — once again — partner with a multitude of localities to assert local control over our own domain: public safety,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Our administration has been unrelenting in driving down crime, rooting out violent criminals, and protecting New Yorkers, and we have had record drops in crime thanks to our commitment to public safety and the precision policing of the NYPD. Collaboration with state and federal law enforcement has always been a key part of our public safety strategy, but we do not need a deployment of the National Guard to our city. Instead, we plan to continue to work with the federal government on areas where collaboration is warranted, such as stopping the flow of illegal guns to our city from the Iron Belt. We remain committed to keeping New Yorkers safe while upholding our constitutional rights.”
“As highlighted in this brief, the president is continuing to treat American cities as military ‘training grounds’ based on pretext and misinformation that is contrary to the facts on the ground,” said New York City Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant. “Federalizing and domestically deploying the National Guard can sow chaos in local communities and should be a last resort, not a primary tactic, reserved for exceedingly rare circumstances. The district court ruling enjoining the federal government should be upheld.”
In September 2025, the Trump administration deployed members of the National Guard to Portland, citing protests of immigration enforcement operations. On October 4, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon ruled that the deployment likely violated federal law because plaintiffs submitted evidence that the cited protests were not significantly violent or disruptive in the days or weeks leading up to the president’s directive. The federal government filed an application in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit seeking an immediate stay of the district court’s temporary restraining order.
In the amicus brief, the coalition argues that the federal government has overreached its authority and that the lower court’s injunction should remain in place, based on longstanding federal laws prohibiting the National Guard from engaging in domestic law enforcement. The brief asserts that the federal government has provided no factual basis or legal justification for deploying 200 federal troops in Portland over the objection of local officials. The coalition states that there was no invasion or rebellion directed toward the federal government that would have allowed it to lawfully deploy the National Guard under 10 U.S.C. 12406, and that this pretext dramatically increases the risk of irreparable injury by inflaming community tensions and interfering with local law enforcement personnel which is better trained to manage situations such as protests and crowd control.
Further, the brief cites the chilling effect that National Guard deployments have on the local economy and taxpayers — as more customers stay inside and local businesses lose customers. Also, taxpayers are stuck paying the bill for these deployments: $134 million for Los Angeles alone and, potentially, at least $10 million for Oregon.
Joining the City of New York and Portland, Oregon are the cities of Tucson, Arizona; Alameda, Anaheim, Berkeley, Culver, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, San José, San Leandro, Santa Ana, Santa Monica, San Francisco, and West Hollywood, California; Denver and Ridgway, Colorado; New Haven, Connecticut; Tallahassee, Florida; Bloomington, Chicago, and Evanston, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; Baltimore, Maryland; Boston, Cambridge, and Lawrence, Massachusetts; Ann Arbor, Bellevue, and Exeter, Michigan; Hopkins, Minneapolis, and St. Paul, Minnesota; Hoboken and Newark, New Jersey, Albuquerque, New Mexico; Hudson, Rochester, and Brighton, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; Pittsburgh and Norristown, Pennsylvania; Providence, Rhode Island; Knoxville and Nashville, Tennessee; Austin, El Paso, Iowa Colony, and San Marcos, Texas; Burlington, Vermont; Alexandria and Norfolk, Virginia; Tacoma, Washington; Madison and Exeter, Wisconsin; as well as the counties of Pima, Arizona; Alameda, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Sonoma, California; Denver and Ouray, Colorado; Montgomery, Maryland; Ingham and Bellevue, Michigan; Columbia, Cortland, and Monroe, New York; Multnomah, Oregon; Allegheny, Bucks, Clarion, Dauphin, and Montgomery, Pennsylvania; Davidson and Shelby, Tennessee; Harris and Travis, Texas; Kings and Pierce, Washington; Dan and Exeter, Wisconsin.
Mayor Eric Adams said Oct. 6 the city will sell $460 million of taxable, fixed-rate general-obligation social bonds in October, its fourth such sale since 2022, to help finance nearly 2,200 affordable apartments. Proceeds will reimburse projects under HPD’s ELLA, SARA and Supportive Housing Loan programs; more than 80% of units will serve households at or below 60% of area median income ($97,200 for a family of four), including 790 units for formerly homeless New Yorkers. The latest deal brings Adams-era social-bond issuance to $2.38 billion supporting over 14,300 units, part of a pipeline of roughly 426,800 homes backed by a 10-year, $25.8 billion capital plan. Moody’s, S&P, Fitch and Kroll reaffirmed the city’s AA-category ratings and stable outlook—building on Fitch’s 2023 upgrade—citing steady fiscal management and resilient revenues.
Mayor Adams Announces New York City’s Fourth Sale of Social Bonds to Support More Affordable Housing as Leading Independent and Internationally-Recognized Rating Agencies Again Affirm City’s Strong Financial Standing and Stability
– New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced that New York City will sell $460 million of taxable, fixed-rate General Obligation Social Bonds in October 2025, helping to support the creation of thousands of units of affordable housing. Additionally, Mayor Adams announced that — for the 18th consecutive time in this administration — the independent, internationally-recognized credit rating agencies Moody’s Ratings, S&P Global Ratings, Fitch Ratings, and Kroll Bond Rating Agency have all affirmed the city’s strong bond ratings and stable outlook. Selling bonds to investors generates resources that the city uses to build and maintain its world-class infrastructure, and, in this case, will be used to support the construction and development of nearly 2,200 units of affordable housing in New York City. Social Bonds exclusively supporting affordable housing in New York City have only been issued during the Adams administration, and this is the city’s fourth issuance of Social Bonds since 2022.
“When it’s come to tackling our generational housing crisis, our administration has gotten creative as we’ve used every tool possible to tackle our generational housing crisis,” said Mayor Adams. “From our historic ‘City of Yes’ plan to our neighborhood rezonings, we have never been afraid to take the bold and necessary steps to build more housing for working-class New Yorkers. Issuing Social Bonds exclusively for housing is yet another example of how we are thinking outside the box to finance and spur more affordable housing. With this latest sale of $460 million of General Obligation Social Bonds, we will support the construction of nearly 2,200 additional units of affordable housing. And because of our work and more, the leading credit rating agencies have, once again, affirmed our administration’s strong fiscal management. Our administration has consistently stepped up to the plate, skillfully managing crises after crises while making our economy stronger and boosting investor confidence. And while we have made great strides, we will never stop fighting to make our city more affordable, more livable, and the best place to raise a family.”
Financing Affordable Housing Through Sale of Social Bonds
Social Bonds allow the city to take advantage of demand for investment opportunities while addressing core policy objectives, including investing in programs and initiatives that can make the city more affordable for working-class New Yorkers. The city’s first three sales of Social Bonds — all of which took place under the Adams administration — totaled $1.92 billion and helped finance over 12,100 units of affordable housing across the city. Following the upcoming transaction, the city will have sold $2.38 billion of Social Bonds since 2022 to help finance over 14,300 units of affordable housing.
Net proceeds from the upcoming sale of Social Bonds will be used to reimburse prior spending by the city under the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s Extremely Low- and Low-Income Affordability (ELLA) Program, Senior Affordable Rental Apartments (SARA) program, and Supportive Housing Loan Program (SHLP). The projects being financed are expected to provide an estimated 1,152 units under the ELLA program, 190 units under the SARA program, and 856 units under the SHLP program. Over 80 percent of the units will be for households earning 60 percent of area median income (equal to $97,200 for a family of four) or below. Additionally, 790 of the total units — more than one-third — will provide housing for individuals and families formerly experiencing homelessness.
Leading Credit Rating Agencies Again Show Confidence
Earlier this month, based on the strength of the city’s fiscal management, revenue performance, budget reserves, and post-pandemic recovery, Moody’s, S&P, Fitch, and Kroll all assigned double-A category ratings and stable outlooks to the city’s upcoming sales of approximately $1.5 billion tax-exempt and $1.75 billion taxable General Obligation Bonds, which includes the $460 million of Social Bonds. The four credit rating agencies have repeatedly upgraded or affirmed the city’s strong General Obligation Bond ratings and outlooks over the course of the Adams administration. Notably, in February 2023, Fitch Ratings upgraded the city’s credit rating from AA- to AA. On each occasion, the four agencies cited the city’s ongoing strong fiscal management in support of their decisions.
Maintaining a strong bond rating is an indication of the city’s financial strength and encourages continued investment in the city’s bonds, which help support funding to build and maintain housing, schools, streets, parks, and other critical infrastructure that spans the five boroughs.
In maintaining its Aa2 rating, Moody’s Ratings cited “New York City’s post-pandemic economic recovery, including a record-high employment-to-population ratio, positive trends in assessed property values despite commercial real estate challenges, and steady but slow tax revenue growth. The expanding economy is driven by the city’s competitive advantages: a young, highly skilled labor pool that over time has helped make New York City households wealthier; strong higher education and medical centers that also contribute higher paying jobs; and strong domestic and international transportation links that support New York City’s position as a global economic, financial and cultural hub.”
S&P Global Ratings stated that the AA rating “reflects our view of New York City’s governance strengths and the dynamism and resilience of its economy, which we believe support stable credit quality over the outlook horizon. At the onset of fiscal 2026, we believe that the fiscal trajectory remains stable, and budgetary reserves — while not projected to increase over the near-term — provide the city with financial flexibility to navigate near-term risks…The stable outlook further reflects our view of the city’s continuing ability to navigate potentially disruptive economic uncertainties and sustain financial stability in the near term, particularly amid a shifting federal and state funding landscape.”
Fitch Ratings noted that “New York City’s ‘AA’ Long-Term Issuer Default Rating and GO bond rating reflect the city’s exceptionally strong budget monitoring and controls, supporting Fitch’s ‘aa’ financial resilience assessment…The city experienced record revenue performance and strong economic recovery coming out of the pandemic, as well as improvement in reserve levels, which will help management navigate slowing revenue growth and future economic downturns.”
In its assignment of the city’s AA+ rating, KBRA wrote that “the city’s role as an international business and cultural center, and its position as the hub of the country’s largest metropolitan economy, highlight the diversity of the resource base supporting the G.O. Bonds. Institutionalized, long-range financial management and capital planning practices support financial stability.”
The credit rating and stable outlook affirmations follow the passage of the city’s $115.9 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Adopted Budget, which builds on Mayor Adams’ FY 2026 Executive Budget — often called the “Best Budget Ever.” The “Best Budget Ever” prioritizes investments that will make New York City a safer, more affordable city that is the best place to raise a family. Additionally, this fiscal year, for the first-time ever, New York City abolished or cut personal income taxes for eligible low-income New Yorkers. Recently, in his FY 2026 September Capital Commitment Plan, Mayor Adams announced the largest capital commitment plan in city history, which includes the acceleration of $1.5 billion in the New York City Housing Preservation and Development capital budget and $300 million in the New York City Housing Authority capital budget for FY 2026 to expedite construction and rehabilitation of nearly 6,500 homes, yet another example of how the administration is delivering affordable housing faster and more creatively.
Thanks to careful fiscal management and policies that have fostered robust economic growth, the Adams administration overcame unprecedented challenges in this budget cycle to manage the budget responsibly, support essential services, and make upstream investments that will benefit New Yorkers for generations to come.
NEW YORK—Oct. 5, 2025—Mayor Eric Adams signed Emergency Executive Order 867, extending a key provision of Order 865 for five days to address persistent crises in the city’s Department of Correction, including at Rikers Island. The move prioritizes compliance with the federal Nunez use-of-force case and the 2022 Nunez Action Plan, citing ongoing attrition-driven staffing shortages that threaten sanitation, showers, meals, visitation, religious services, commissary, and recreation. The jail system’s state of emergency, first declared in 2021, remains in effect; the extension is effective immediately and may be modified or terminated earlier.
Emergency Executive Order 867
WHEREAS, on September 2, 2021, the federal monitor in the Nunez use-of-force class action stated that steps must be taken immediately to address the conditions in the New York City jails; and
WHEREAS, on June 14, 2022, the federal court in Nunez approved the Nunez Action Plan, which “represents a way to move forward with concrete measures now to address the ongoing crisis at Rikers Island”; and
WHEREAS, although there has been improvement in excessive staff absenteeism, extraordinarily high rates of attrition due to staff retirements and other departures continue to seriously affect the Department of Correction’s (DOC’s) staffing levels and create a serious risk to DOC’s ability to carry out the safety and security measures required for the maintenance of sanitary conditions; and access to basic services, including showers, meals, visitation, religious services, commissary, and recreation; and
WHEREAS, this Order is given to prioritize compliance with the Nunez Action Plan and to address the effects of DOC’s staffing levels, the conditions at DOC facilities, and health operations; and
WHEREAS, additional reasons for requiring the measures continued in this Order are set forth in Emergency Executive Order No. 140 of 2022, Emergency Executive Order No. 579 of 2024, and Emergency Executive Order 623 of 2024; and
WHEREAS, the state of emergency existing within DOC facilities, first declared in Emergency Executive Order No. 241, dated September 15, 2021, and extended by subsequent orders, remains in effect;
NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to the powers vested in me by the laws of the State of New York and the City of New York, including but not limited to the New York Executive Law, the New York City Charter and the Administrative Code of the City of New York, and the common law authority to protect the public in the event of an emergency:
Section 1. I hereby direct that section 1 of Emergency Executive Order No. 865, dated September 30, 2025, is extended for five (5) days.
§ 2. This Emergency Executive Order shall take effect immediately and shall remain in effect for five (5) days unless it is terminated or modified at an earlier date.
New York City logged its seventh consecutive quarterly drop in major crime, with Q3 2025 offenses down 3.1% and six of seven index categories falling, Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said. Shooting incidents declined 15.6% in the quarter (29.7% in September), and shooting victims tied record lows, outcomes officials linked to a data-driven “summer zones” deployment and the seizure of 4,100 illegal guns this year—nearly 24,000 since the administration began. Transit crime reached all-time lows outside the pandemic years, while retail theft fell 19% in the quarter and 13% year to date; the Bronx reversed earlier gains as boroughwide reductions broadened. Murders remain near historic lows, though Adams and Tisch warned federal cuts to NYPD counter-terror funding could erode progress in the months ahead.
Mayor Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch Brief the Media on Third Quarter Crime Stats, Record Low Shooting Incidents, and Shooting Victims for First Nine Months of the Year
Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you so much, good afternoon. When I ran for office, I was clear on one message. Public safety is a prerequisite to our prosperity. And I threw everything at public safety and ensuring that our citizens could be safe. Probably unlike any other mayor, I spent so many days on the streets of shootings, of homicides, of victims, of individuals being shoved to our subway tracks.
I’ve been in hospitals, funerals, speaking with parents, hearing and feeling the pain that they experience when they are the victims of any form of criminal action. And numbers don’t lie, what we have done is clear.
We lived up to our commitment, and I say it over and over again, we can’t go backwards. We can’t go back to the days of the early 80s when I was a rookie police officer, and we can’t go backwards to 2021. Guns were known to be ordinary tools that were used on our streets to permit crime.
Our 2025 third quarter crime data shows that our public safety system is working. We have gone to work to sweep out crime and illegal activities from our neighborhoods. So if we were to start with the top line, because of what this team has done, not only the commissioner and Chief LiPetri, but also those who are in the front rows. On our subway system and housing, our chief of the Department, our entire team were out there doing the job every day, as well as the men and women who are adorned in the blue uniform and wear that shield on their chest.
We have finished our seven consecutive quarter of crime reduction, seven consecutive quarters. And when you think about it and say it simply, since January 2024, for almost two straight years, crime has consistently declined each and every quarter. Major crime for the third quarter was 3.1 percent equated to over 1,000 fewer victims. And that’s more than 1,000 real people who were no longer the victims of serious crime. And more specifically, six of the seven major crimes were also down for this quarter. Including declines in homicides, robberies, felony assaults, burglaries, grand larcenies, and auto theft.
Major crime in our subway system and our public housing developments were also down for the third quarter of the year, chief of Housing and chief of Transit, a job well done. We cannot thank you enough for what you have accomplished. And those have been areas, particularly housing, where public safety has eluded us for decades. And although you hear about some of the high profile incidents, overall the residents of NYCHA are safer and the residents of our subway system.
When you take out the two years of the COVID, two years when no one was on the subway, you’ll see how these numbers are significant. We set records in our transit system. We had the safest summer in recorded history in our subways when you exclude the pandemic years.
In the third quarter, July, August, and September, index crime was a record low in our subway system except for ‘20 and ‘21. Shooting incidents were also, once again, at record lows for the first nine months of the year. No caveats, no asterisks, plain and simple, the lowest. [Inaudible] at record lows in our city history has continued to show that we’re doing the right thing.
Shooting incidents were down 29.7 percent for September and 15.6 percent for the third quarter of 2025. For the first nine months of the year, shooting victims were also at record lows, tying the previous record set in 2018. Shooting victims were down 32.5 percent for September and 11.3 percent for the quarter.
Shootings are down at a staggering 54 percent, when you compare New York City year to day shootings to the same period immediately before I took office. Those are the dividends paid for more than 4,100 illegal guns removed off our streets. 4,100 illegal guns and the almost 24,000 guns removed since the start of our administration. And that 4,100 number was for this year alone.
This is 24,000, 24,000 weapons that no longer threaten the safety of our neighbors, our families, and our children. More specifically, for September, major crime was down 2.8 percent. It was driven by a decrease in six of the seven major crime categories. That includes double digit percentage declines in homicides, rape, and auto theft, as well as declines in robbery, felony assaults, and burglary.
Retail theft, which you are watching across the country, is taking off. And so we should think about that when individuals want to stop enforcing retail theft, what impacts the financial stability of our city. Retail theft in this city and hate crimes are both continuing their decline for month, quarter, and year to date. This reduction in crime is no accident.
It’s the product of our administration priority to take on crime and quality of life issues. While these numbers show real progress, we know there’s more to do. And we’re not resting until every New Yorker is not only safe, but feels safe in their home, in our subways, and on our sidewalks. We have been clear in this administration, we will not tolerate a feeling of anything goes in our streets. And that includes those who want to carry out quality of life conditions.
We’re going to ensure that we enforce them as long as I’m the mayor of this city. We’re making New York City the best place to raise children and families. Because of our steadfast focus on public safety, the deep bench of leaders we’ve put in place here at police headquarters. And the hard work of the brave men and women of the NYPD, New York City remains the safest big city in America. And a clear indication was that we just had UNGA, UN General Assembly week. And we had Jewish High Holidays, the New Years, and you saw the proper deployment to deal with the dignitaries who were here, as well as ensure that those who wanted to worship were able to worship in safety.
We’re going to continue to do the job that New Yorkers expect from us. I want to turn it over to the commissioner, Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch: Thank you, sir. Good afternoon. It is with deep appreciation for Mayor Eric Adams and immense pride in the women and men of the NYPD that I’m here to report on some historic, record breaking crime reductions achieved by your NYPD cops in the third quarter of this year. Months of July, August, and September, including the fewest shooting incidents for the first nine months of any year, and for any third quarter in recorded history.
Tied for the fewest shooting victims ever for the year, and the second fewest by one for the last quarter. Seven straight quarters of declining major crime under Mayor Adams going back to January 2024. The safest third quarter ever on our subways with all time low major crime numbers for each of the months of July, August, and September, excluding the COVID years. And murders equaled their second lowest level ever for both the third quarter and the year to date.
So let’s get into it and let’s start with shootings. In the first nine months of this year, citywide shooting incidents are down more than 20 percent, their lowest levels ever, shattering the previous record low set in 2018 by 20 fewer incidents. And they are down nearly 16 percent for the quarter, making it the fewest shootings in any third quarter in recorded history.
Shooting victims are also down 19 percent for this year, tied for their lowest levels ever. And they were down more than 11 percent last quarter, the second best third quarter in recorded history. We always hear about how shootings spike in the summer months, but your NYPD cops did not just slow that trend, they reversed it.
Shooting incidents fell by double digits in four out of our five boroughs last quarter, led by a 26 percent reduction in the Bronx, a 20 percent reduction on Staten Island, a nearly 19 percent drop in Manhattan, and an almost 18 percent reduction in Queens.
In Brooklyn, shootings were up less than 3 percent for the third quarter, which represents two more shooting incidents in that borough from a year ago. But it is still the second best quarter for Brooklyn shootings in recorded history. And to be very clear, over the past nine months, Brooklyn has seen the lowest number of shootings ever recorded.
For the year, the decline in shooting incidents is led by Staten Island at more than 38 percent, Manhattan at over 34 percent, followed by Queens at 22 percent, the Bronx at 20 percent, and Brooklyn at more than 12 percent. And this is not a coincidence. It is the direct result of an unprecedented, precise, data-driven deployment of thousands of officers.
We took cops out of desk jobs and put them on high visibility foot posts where and when they were needed most. And we told them to get the guns and to go after the gangs, and they did that in unprecedented fashion. I encourage all New Yorkers to join me in expressing their deep appreciation for the men and women of the NYPD for their noble, selfless, and historic work this summer.
The centerpiece of our strategy over the last quarter has been our summer zones. Up to 2,300 cops were sent to work in 72 summer zones across nearly 60 communities last May. The largest deployment of its kind in NYPD history. But this strategy wasn’t just about size. It was about planned precision, and it worked.
Over the past 19 weeks in our summer zones, shooting incidents fell more than 47 percent during deployment, with shooting victims down 44 percent. This includes a 77 percent reduction in Manhattan North, a 46 percent reduction in Brooklyn North, and a 40 percent reduction in shootings in the Bronx. I want to be clear, the communities where we’re seeing the deepest reductions in violent crime are the same communities that have historically been plagued by the most gun violence.
We saw crime reductions in every single borough during deployment, with overall crime in our summer zones down more than 18 percent, felony assaults down 25 percent, robberies down 23 percent, murders down 18 percent, auto theft down 15 percent, grand larceny down 12 percent, and burglary down nearly 1 percent.
This is what happens when we’re not only working hard, but we are working smart. We know that this zone plan is effective, and we know why. It is a data-driven, scalpel approach to fighting crime and disorder. That strategy is going to continue into the fall, and you’ll hear more about the summer zones from the architect of that strategy, Chief LiPetri, in a moment.
Now let me give you the overall crime picture. For both the third quarter and year to date, major crime is down in our precincts, on our subways, and in our housing developments. For the year to date, overall crime is down about 4 percent citywide, and fell more than 3 percent last quarter, making this the seventh straight quarter of declining crime under Mayor Adams, going back to January of last year. And for the month of September, major crime was lower in every one of our eight patrol boroughs.
Of note, we had significant crime reductions in Queens of nearly 7.5 percent for the quarter, and more than 9 percent for the year. And Manhattan, down more than 5 percent for the quarter, and over 4 percent for the year. And in the past three months, we reversed an upward trend that we were seeing in the Bronx, going from a 6.2 percent crime increase in the second quarter to a 3.4 percent decrease in the third quarter.
Given that the past three months are historically when our city sees the most crime and violence at any time during the year, I want to commend all of the Bronx cops who refused to accept the narrative that their borough was an outlier when it came to public safety.
Where they did see stubborn pockets of crime, they executed our plan to address it. Looking at the seven major crime categories, citywide murders are down nearly 18 percent for both the year and for the quarter, bringing them to their second lowest level ever for both time frames. And these aren’t just percentages, they are lives saved.
So far this year, there have been 52 fewer people killed in New York City compared to 2024. Burglaries in the third quarter were down to their second lowest level in recorded history, dropping more than 9 percent, and they are down nearly 4 percent for the year.
Citywide robberies are down nearly 10 percent year to date, and more than 5 percent for the quarter. That means 1,200 fewer incidents than in 2024, reversing an upward trend that we saw through the first nine months of last year. Grand larcenies fell by more than 4 percent for the year, and we’re down 0.5 percent for the quarter, extending the declines we’ve seen in this crime for the last three years in a row.
We’re seeing similar multi-year declines in auto theft. After a significant increase during and immediately after the pandemic, we are now down by more than 4 percent for both the year and the third quarter.
Felony assault, a crime that is mainly driven by domestic violence and attacks on our officers, is about 1 percent lower for the year and down nearly 4 percent for the quarter. And back in July, when we presented the second quarter crime stats, we said that rape was the one index crime that had increased up 21 percent through June. And we explained that the rise was largely due to a change in state law that went into effect in September 2024, which rightfully broadened the legal definition of rape to better capture the full range of these crimes.
Now that we’re past the one year mark of that change, we finally have a clear year over year comparison. And the numbers do show progress. For September of this year compared to last, rape was down more than 13 percent, and this is the first time in over 12 months that we are looking at the same universe of survivors.
And the tide is also turning on our subways. Outside of the COVID years, we just had the safest third quarter ever in transit with major crime falling by nearly 14 percent. Each of the past three individual months, July, August, and September, was the safest in recorded history for major crime. And year to date, crime in our subways is down more than 4 percent to its lowest levels in 15 years, excluding the pandemic years.
For this year, robberies in transit are down to their lowest levels ever, and shooting incidents are down a remarkable 67 percent. Overall, crime in our subways is nearly 12 percent below pre-pandemic levels, with robbery down more than 24 percent, and felony theft down nearly 27 percent.
These results don’t just make the transit system safer, they make people feel safer too. A recent poll conducted by the MTA showed that nearly seven out of ten New York City subway riders felt safe while using the system, an increase of 12 percent from the beginning of this year. Why? Because people are seeing more cops on the trains and on the platforms where we know that the vast majority of transit crime occurs.
The sentiment is shifting, and it’s not just about a visible police presence. Over the past ten years, the transit rules against taking up multiple seats, laying outstretched, smoking, drinking alcohol, etc., were not consistently enforced. This increased the perception of an unsafe system, and it needed to change.
So this year, we made that change. Our cops will no longer walk by someone who is violating the law and disrupting other passengers, they will correct the condition. And I want to be clear, this is about restoring a sense of safety and order in the system. It is also a response to New Yorkers telling us that unchecked disorder makes them feel less safe on the trains. That’s why we’re also matching our enforcement with services.
Through the mayor’s PATH program launched last year, the NYPD has partnered with city agencies, local nurses, clinicians, service providers, and others to provide services such as shelter, meals, medical care, and mental health support. This is how we deliver a safer, more accessible system for all.
Looking ahead, I want to highlight an issue that has taken on increased importance in neighborhoods across our city, and that is retail theft. The numbers here are encouraging. In the third quarter, retail theft dropped by nearly 19 percent citywide, bringing us 13 percent lower for the year compared to 2024. And this didn’t happen by accident. It is a true indicator of what an effective, comprehensive crime fighting plan can really do.
For too long, shoplifting was a leading sign of disorder and lawlessness on our streets to the point where everyday goods behind lock and key has become the norm. Since most retail theft is classified as a misdemeanor though, it wasn’t given the same attention as more serious violent crimes were. But tell that to the small businesses who are constantly victimized by thieves. Tell that to the local shop owners who are unable to make their rent and forced to close in the face of crushing shoplifting losses. It’s devastating to them and it hurts our communities and the NYPD has said no more through a multifaceted, precise, data driven approach.
This year, every precinct in the city has designed and implemented a retail theft plan, which puts officers on foot posts in high propensity locations during the specific hours when most retail theft occurs. And we began seriously investigating these crimes as well. Establishing patterns, identifying recidivists, tracking perps, and closing cases.
This includes closer coordination between patrol cops, squad detectives, and transit officers. Since we know many shoplifters attempt to flee into our subways. Finally, retail theft became a focal point of our weekly CompStat meetings, where local commanders provide our executive staff with regular updates on what’s working and discuss solutions to what isn’t.
The results are clear. Our officers made nearly 6,600 shoplifting arrests last quarter alone. A 30 percent increase from pre-pandemic levels and nearly 21,300 arrests citywide so far this year, which is 40 percent more than in 2019. So it is no wonder that in 2025, retail theft is down in four of our five boroughs.
This work restores order in our neighborhoods. It restores the confidence of our local businesses and it sends a direct, unambiguous message. Shoplifters, regardless of the amount they steal, will be investigated, identified, and arrested. Because accountability matters here.
In a moment, our Chief of Crime Control Strategies, Mike LiPetri, will break down these numbers even further. But I want to take this opportunity to thank the women and men of the NYPD. Every piece of data we’re presenting today is a reflection of their work.
When we talk about record setting crime reductions, we’re talking about the cops. These gains have been achieved on their backs. Long, hot nights of grueling foot posts, risking their own lives to get guns off the street, and an uncommon instinct to run toward the danger when everyone else runs away. These results are also a reflection of the steady leadership and forward leaning strategies developed by our chiefs. Among them, of course, our Chief of Department, John Chell, our Chief of Crime Control Strategies, Mike LiPetri, our Chief of Patrol, Phil Rivera, our Chief of Transit, Joe Gulotta, our Chief of Housing, Charles McEvoy, and our Chief of Detectives, Joe Kenney.
New Yorkers should know that they are served by the most extraordinarily talented group of police leaders that I have seen in my 18 year career. No one does it better, and it is truly the greatest privilege of my lifetime to lead them. And of course, none of this would be possible without the leadership of Mayor Adams, who has made public safety the bedrock of his long service to the city.
Under his watch, we’ve invested in the tools of tomorrow from drones that expand our reach to new facilities, like the 4-0 station house and the brand new 116 precinct that strengthen our foundation. He has given us the people we need, setting us on a pace this year to hire more officers than at any time in the past 40 years. He has quite literally backed the blue.
His vision has turned promises into progress, and his partnership has made New York safer, stronger, and more secure. And all these results are a testament to his leadership. So that was some very good news, but now I have to comment on some profoundly bad news.
The federal government’s decision to slash counter-terrorism funding for the NYPD from 90 million down to nearly 10 million is a betrayal of this city. I want to be very direct about this. If these cuts go through as planned, it will represent a devastating blow to our counter-terrorism and intelligence programs in New York City. The impact of these cuts won’t be felt immediately. New York City will not be a less safe place tomorrow as a result of all of this.
But it will absolutely be a less safe place six months from now. Let me be clear, these funds are the backbone of the NYPD’s counter-terrorism programs. They pay for our highly trained bomb squad technicians, our officers with heavy weapons who guard our subways in major events, the critical response teams who do counter-terrorism patrols at our houses of worship and other sensitive locations, our radiation detection capabilities, the intelligence analysts who uncover plots before they become attacks, our camera systems that enable us to monitor conditions in real time, and the training that prepares us for active shooter attacks.
Counter-terrorism funding cannot be a political issue. It cannot rise and fall based on partisan whims. To strip this funding away from the number one terrorist target in the world is a profound mistake. The cold, hard truth is that since 9/11, New York City has faced more than 70 terrorism plots and ideologically driven acts of violence. And with the support of these critical resources, the women and men of the NYPD have kept our city safe.
Cutting these resources now in a time of global conflict and surging threats puts lives at risk and will make our city meaningfully less safe. To be blunt, this is the difference between a city that prevents the next attack and a city left exposed to it. And I will not stop pressing this issue until the federal government restores the funding and ensures that we continue to have the resources that we need to keep you all safe. Now, I will turn it over to our Chief of Crime Control Strategies, Michael LiPetri.
Michael LiPetri, Chief of Crime Control Strategies, Police Department: Good afternoon. So as the commissioner said, I’m going to speak specifically about the Summer Violence Plan of 2025, which started on May 5th and it ended on September 14th. We identified 72 summer zones across the city for targeted deployment at specific times. 40 precincts, 10 transit districts, and 8 public service areas. The zones were based off of historical data, high volume, violent street crime prone locations.
We used historical intelligence and data analytics to determine deployment, with of course, relentless follow up and precision. Collaborative policing and investigations between all units in the department. Our Gun Violence Suppression Division, our Narcotics Division, our Vice Division, our Neighborhood Safety Teams, our Intelligence Bureau, Housing Bureau, Transit Bureau, patrol, detective squads throughout the city.
Summer violent zones saw an overall decrease of 18 percent less index crimes as compared to last year. Every borough is down in index crimes since inception on May 5th. The transit system within the summer violent zones had efforts focused system wide, which translated to a 14 percent decrease in index crimes. Furthermore, our summer violent zones within our Housing Bureau also achieved significant reductions in index crimes to the tune of 17 percent decrease.
While on the topic of housing, year to date, we have seen the lowest number of murders in housing history. For the third quarter, second lowest number of murders in housing history. Year to date, third lowest year for robberies in housing history. And for the quarter, lowest number of robberies in housing history.
I like to talk about the special Times Square zone. Why am I speaking of that? The crossroads of the world, with hundreds of thousands of people going into that area every day. The zone covers from 6th Avenue to 9th Avenue, from 4-0 to 5-1. Saw a 41 percent reduction in overall crime. That’s a 33 percent robbery decrease and a 34 percent decrease in felony assaults in Times Square. Robberies within the zones, down 23 percent. Felony assaults, down 25 percent.
I’d like to touch on the shootings, city wide between that time frame, May 5th to 9/14. City wide shooting incidents overall, lowest in CompStat history. City wide shooting victims, lowest in CompStat history. City wide murders, second lowest in CompStat history. Let’s talk about housing again. Murders, 12, lowest in CompStat history. Shooting incidents, lowest in CompStat history. Shooting victims, lowest in CompStat history.
This city saw 400 less shooting victims from the year prior to Mayor Adams’ administration in 2021. Think about that, 708 shooting incidents in approximately four month period. That’s what the city is in target right now for the whole year. That is just phenomenal. And that’s hard work, and that’s the men and women doing it.
Let’s talk about the individual summer zone shooting stats. 47 percent decrease, as the commissioner said, overall in the summer zones. Upper Manhattan, down 79 percent in shooting in zones. The Washington Heights zone in the 3-4, zero shootings. The Central Harlem zone in the 3-2, zero shootings. The Bronx, down 40 percent in shootings in the zones. Morrisania in the 4-4, zero shootings for four and a half months in that zone. East Tremont, 4-8, zero shootings in that zone for four and a half months.
Let’s go over to Brooklyn North, 46 percent decrease in shootings in those zones. Crown Heights, 7-7, that zone, down 83 percent shootings, they took one shooting. Brownsville, Brooklyn, the 7-3, that zone, down 56 percent in shootings. Cops were deployed at the right locations. 31 percent of all the gun arrests in the summer were within the zones. Over 350 guns recovered in those zones, and I’m going to tell you stories, because they’re really good.
Example number one, in a 90 minute span on July 9th into July 10th in Mott Haven, in the 4-0, we take two shots fired incidents, and we take three separate arrests of teenagers with guns. The first incident, at 2315, on July 9th. There’s a confirmed shots fired in the Mott Haven houses. Within a month, the 4-0 detective squad solved that case, and that individual has been charged and indicted for attempted murder in CPW-2. As I said in the beginning, we’ve asked all our bureaus to do something different in the zone, and they did.
Approximately an hour later, an 18-year-old male arrested with a gun in the Mitchell houses. Two minutes later, we get another confirmed shots fired. But guess what? The deployment was out there, five minutes later, two separate gun arrests, a 17-year-old and a 17-year-old. Why is this even more significant? Because over the past two weeks in this city, 25 percent of our shooting victims have been under the age of 18. That’s why it’s more significant.
Example number two, three live gun arrests in the 4-0 and the 4-4 zones within about two hours. And remember, these are our field training officers that are grabbing these guns. On 9-8, at 0029 hours, FTU personnel observed an individual drinking an open container of alcohol, found to be in possession of a firearm. About a half hour later, our FTU officers observed an individual riding a city bike, recklessly, found to be in possession of a firearm. And at about 3:30 in the morning, as the commissioner said, still out there, 3:30 in the morning, in front of a problematic club in the 4-4, grabbed a guy with a pistol.
With two tragic incidents in the Bronx, on April 23rd and September 1st, where we’ve had multiple people shot, the response by the units that were deployed to those zones yielded four individuals arrested for the first incident with four guns recovered. And for the second incident, same thing. Four individuals running from that scene with four guns recovered.
And I’d like to just compare the Bronx overall, since I gave the Bronx a lot of credit, as they should get credit, because they have the most zones and they have the most cops. But the cops are out there and the detectives are out there doing the work. So let me compare that to 2021, before the Adams administration took over. The Bronx has seen 203 less shooting victims for the year. That’s lives saved. I just want to thank again all the men and women, and my partners to the right of me, for everything. Thank you.
Question: [Inaudible] budget impasse or does it predate that?
Police Commissioner Tisch: It is not part of the current budget impasse. It’s completely separate. We became aware of the funding totals this week, and this is part of the Department of Homeland Security administers Homeland Security grant programs. And this is our UASI grant and our Homeland Security grant program funding that has been decimated.
Question: [Inaudible.]
Chief LiPetri: So we did do it last summer, we just did not do it with as many cops, with as many zones. It is not just cops on foot, right? In the beginning, I spoke about all the different NYPD units that we asked to do something different. We prioritize, we use precision. Our Detective Bureau, our transit offices, our housing offices. Multiple detective bureau units, narcotics. We wanted them focused in these zones, and obviously it speaks for itself, the success.
Question: [Inaudible.]
Police Commissioner Tisch: Now these are really focused on our counter-terrorism programs.
Question: [Inaudible.]
Police Commissioner Tisch: No, just to be clear, these cuts are devastating or would be devastating if they go through to our counter-terrorism programs, as opposed to our crime-fighting abilities.
Question: [Inaudible.]
Mayor Adams: Yeah, and I think the commissioner probably articulated how important it is that we have the funding to do our terrorist operation. New York City is still a real target for those who want to hurt our city. We’re seeing extremist behavior that’s taking place across the entire globe. And these funds are crucial, not only because the United Nations is here. We have the largest Jewish population outside of Israel that’s here. So many other groups that are the victims of some of the targets.
And so to be able to be proactive and reactive is crucial. And so we cannot make it any clearer, and I think the commissioner did an excellent job of pointing out the substantial amount of money that we get in the way of doing the job that we do. We are the number one target for many people who want to harm our city.
Question: [Inaudible.]
Mayor Adams: Yeah, listen, I’m leaving this city in good shape. I mean, what more can you say? The city is– more jobs in the city’s history. Our children are outpacing the state in reading and math. We built more housing– We’ve zoned the city to build 426,000 units of housing.
We made the city safer, both above ground, below ground. You don’t see encampments along our highways and streets like you see in other cities. This city’s in good shape. And we need to make sure we don’t go backwards. And I’m going to say you in the words of Bloomberg, when I became mayor, don’t [] it up.
Question: The commissioner used the word “historic” I don’t even know how many times.
Police Commissioner Tisch: You caught that?
Question: But, I’m wondering, how confident are you that your successor, whomever it is, will be able to carry on this legacy and maybe even build on it?
Mayor Adams: I’m not. I’m not. To do what we have done around housing, around public safety, around business, around bringing in business here. To do that, you have to really have the ability to ignore the noise. And it comes with a price tag. And I can’t say I am extremely optimistic about what is going to happen.
When you talk about removing 3,000 dangerous inmates off of Rikers Island and putting them back in the communities that we took them out of. When you talk about disbanding SRG. When you talk about telling police officers not to respond to domestic violence incidents.
When you want to take away the gang database and not collaborate with the takedowns of gangs, which had a lot to do with our safety takedown gangs. Almost, I think, 40 to 50 percent of our shootings are gangs. We don’t understand how imperative it is to focus on guns, get the guns, get them off the street. If that is not your plan, then it’s problematic.
And I am not confident that our New Yorkers are going to continue this success that we have witnessed. Because when you talk about safety, you have to be very clear and you have to be very focused. And I don’t see that clarity. Idealism collides with realism when it talks about going after dangerous and bad people. There are people who want to hurt our residents and who want to hurt our city.
And if you don’t have a welcome mat for businesses so that we have employment, if you’re not willing to sit down with billionaires who pay 50 percent of our taxes, those who are a million plus. When you talk about taxing white communities, all of these things are hurting what it takes to have a successful city. We didn’t stumble into success, we had a well-focused plan.
And then you have to be ready for emergencies. No one expected 237,000 migrants and asylum seekers to come to the city. You don’t even talk about it anymore. It has become so good for you guys that you don’t even realize it. But you know what? You’re going to miss me. Thank you.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has announced the implementation of a citywide 15 mph speed limit for e-bikes, e-scooters, and pedal-assist commercial bicycles, effective October 24, 2025, following the publication of the final rule in the City Record. The measure aligns with international best practices and is aimed at enhancing public safety amid record cycling growth and rising use of micromobility devices. The initiative builds on the Adams administration’s broader transportation safety agenda, which includes over 87 miles of new protected bike lanes, upgraded infrastructure, and the recent launch of the Department of Sustainable Delivery—a regulatory body tasked with overseeing delivery app operations and promoting safer streets. The administration continues to urge the City Council to adopt comprehensive legislation to hold app-based delivery companies accountable for incentivizing unsafe riding behaviors.
Mayor Adams Announces Citywide Speed Limit for E-Bikes to Go Into Effect on October 24
– New York City Mayor Eric Adams today delivered on a commitment made earlier this summer by announcing a citywide 15 mile-per-hour (mph) speed limit for electric bikes on city streets, effective October 24, 2025, following today’s publication of the final rule in the City Record. Once implemented, the 15 mph speed limit for e-bikes, e-scooters, and pedal-assist commercial bicycles will match the same speed limit that currently applies to stand-up e-scooters. The new rule mirrors best practices for e-bike speeds in many other areas of the world, including the European Union, which has implemented speed restrictions for e-bikes of 25 kilometers-per-hour (approximately 15 mph) in bike lanes.
“This new 15 miles-per-hour speed limit for e-bikes is about keeping New Yorkers safe while continuing to keep our city moving,” said Mayor Adams. “As more New Yorkers turn to e-bikes and e-scooters to get around our city, New Yorkers have asked us to set clear, consistent rules to address this issue and protect everyone. Starting October 24, whether you’re riding, walking, or driving, we know that everyone will be safe and protected on our streets. We’re proud of the work we’ve done to expand biking across the five boroughs while setting clear rules of the road that will improve public safety and New Yorkers’ quality of life.”
“With record bike ridership and a historic expansion of our protected bike lane network, we’re making it safer and easier than ever for the record number of New Yorkers choosing cycling by building infrastructure and providing education to meet the moment,” said New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “We are using every tool and studying worldwide best practices, to ensure every New Yorker is traveling at safe speeds on our streets.”
Today’s announcement is the latest step Mayor Adams has taken to enhance public safety for all New Yorkers on city streets. Other safety measures have included implementing targeted traffic enforcement against reckless driving, and the creation of the Department of Sustainable Delivery within the DOT. The Adams administration has also built a record 87.5 miles of new protected bike lanes, upgraded more than with sturdier barriers, and has begun building wider bike lanes along the city’s busiest routes to meet record demand for bike infrastructure throughout New York City.
Department of Sustainable Delivery Recently, Mayor Adams announced the Department of Sustainable Delivery. Fulfilling a promise from his 2024 State of the City Address, the Department of Sustainable Delivery will consist of a team of data analysts, policy analysts, and peace officers who will focus on methods to improve traffic and vehicle safety and work to hold delivery app companies accountable for public safety. Funded as part of Fiscal Year 2026 Adopted Budget, which builds on Mayor Adams’ “Best Budget Ever,” the Department of Sustainable Delivery will bring order to New York City streets as the number of app-based deliveries and delivery workers have soared with little accountability in place for app-based companies. The Adams administration continues to call on the New York City Council to take up the administration’s comprehensive legislation to crack down on the root cause of reckless e-bike riding by regulating the app companies that incentivize dangerous behavior.
The Adams administration continues to call on the New York City Council to take up the administration’s comprehensive legislation to crack down on the root cause of reckless e-bike riding by regulating the app companies that incentivize dangerous behavior.
During a live interview on WBAI’s What’s Going On!, Mayor Eric Adams discussed New York City’s progress in reducing gun violence, citing historic lows in shootings during the first seven months of 2025. Adams emphasized a dual strategy of enforcement and prevention, including the removal of nearly 24,000 illegal guns and the expansion of youth-focused programs—such as 100,000+ summer jobs, 11,000 paid internships, and targeted support for foster care and NYCHA youth. He also highlighted national efforts by the African American Mayors Association to address root causes of violence in underserved communities. Responding to concerns about school absenteeism, Adams stressed the city’s renewed focus on re-engaging chronically absent students and called for greater federal support to address long-term impacts of the migrant crisis and systemic disparities.
Mayor Adams Calls In for Live Interview on WBAI’s “What’s Going On!”
Isaac Ferguson: Good morning, Mayor Adams. Welcome to WBAI.
Mayor Eric Adams: Hey, how’s it going? Great to be on with you.
Ferguson: It’s been some time since we’ve talked, mayor. It’s my pleasure.
Mayor Adams: Thank you for allowing me to come on and chat with you.
Ferguson: Mayor Adams, you go straight to the point. I know you’re having a crazy busy morning. I know you’re part of a national organization of Black mayors. I believe you still are very much involved in that.
Mayor Adams: Yes, it’s called AAMA, African American Mayors Association.
Ferguson: Yes, and I believe that one of the main objectives of that organization is to deal with the matter of gun violence in Black and brown communities. Am I right?
Mayor Adams: Yes, it is.
Ferguson: Can you tell us some of the developments, what’s going on with that organization, what’s their current platforms, and have they been able to make any progress?
Mayor Adams: Yes, they have. When you look at the major cities across the country, you are seeing these Black mayors really bringing down shootings and homicides. Right here in New York, in the first seven months of this year, we saw the lowest number of shootings and people who are victims of shootings drop to the lowest number in recorded history.
But not only that, our upstream solutions, when you look at these different cities, it’s not just about law enforcement, but it’s also about how you do upstream. Instead of waiting for a young person to fall into the river of violence and pull them out downstream, we went upstream.
What we’re doing with paid internships, 11,000 in the DOE, our Summer Youth Employment [Program], over 100,000. And what we’re doing with formerly justice-involved young people through our CRED program, teaching them trades and skills. So, the goal is not only to grab a young person when they commit a crime, but how do you prevent the crime from taking place in the first place. And that’s that proactive and reactive approach that you’re seeing across the country with these Black mayors.
Ferguson: Yes, mayor. But I’m here talking with young people, and gun violence has become a serious problem of the young, and especially young males. And what we’re seeing is that before the pandemic, our chronic school absenteeism stood at around 15 percent across the country. Now, it’s up over 30 percent. So, the young people are not returning to school. We told them to stay out of school because of the crisis of the pandemic, and probably people took it for granted that after the pandemic was over, they’ll return.
Now, many, many of those young males are in the streets. They’re not in school. And they’re getting into gangs. They’re forming their own families based on, call it machoism, to use an old term, and teen violence. What is being done to get these young people back into schools or get them into some situation where they can be influenced away from gangs and gang violence?
Mayor Adams: And that is so true, as you talked about it. The chronically absent children after COVID, this is the byproduct of COVID. As you indicated, many young people did not come to school because we told them during COVID to stay home. And that continued.
And in the Department of Education, we are focusing on those chronically absent young people, communicating with their family members and loved ones, finding out those who are not returning to school, coaching them to come back into school. And you’re really seeing a problem in the area of those children who are unhoused, at the shelter, or living with a family member because of a housing issue. That is the long-term impact that we are facing when it comes down to some of the violence we’re seeing.
You know, it goes back to what I shared with many New Yorkers, the impact of the $7.2 billion we lost during the migrant and asylum seeker [crisis]. Those dollars, I should say, those dollars could have gone to things like targeting our chronically absent children. We could have easily spent that half a billion dollars on just focusing on that. And when I talk about the impact of the money we lost because the federal government did not pick up the price tag, these are the things that I’m talking about.
But we are focusing on those chronically absent children to get them back into school because if you don’t educate, you will incarcerate. And that is what we’re seeing across this entire country.
Ferguson: Mayor Adams, we have many, many callers on the line. I know we can only take a few. And it’s so vital to hear from our listeners. So, we’re going to try to get one caller right now. Many people want to ask you questions and talk to you. And callers, please, stick to the matter of gun violence. I want to get the mayor’s opinion on this out to the public. And I want you to address his concerns and the activities he’s involved in with that.
First caller. Caller, you’re on the line. This is WBAI. You’re on the line with Mayor Adams, with Isaac Ferguson, and with Terri Wisdom. What’s your name, where you’re calling from, and what you got for us?
[Crosstalk.]
Ferguson: Let’s go on. Terri, you had some questions for the mayor concerning the claims that gun violence is down across New York City.
Terri Wisdom: Yes. Thank you. And good morning, Mayor Eric Adams. Welcome. We’re honored to have you here. Thank you. Extremely important to hear from you and your voice—
[Crosstalk.]
Wisdom: So, Mayor Adams, one of the things that we are hearing continually is gun violence is down. Gun violence is down across the city. And as we’re hearing that every day, we’re hearing about somebody being shot in the street, whether it’s a grandmother on a walker. And it’s mainly in our Black and brown communities. We know that there are disparities.
So, the question is, what are we doing about this systemic problem? How are we addressing it? And if, in fact, this is true, it’s overall down across the city. But in our areas, it appears to be down some. But down, you know, down less than, let’s say, in Staten Island, you know, it’s down a lot. But in Harlem or in Manhattan, it’s not.
So, what are we really doing? What are you doing to just address this matter? Because when people hear gun violence, the numbers are down, but they’re hearing about people getting shot, you know, what are we doing? And you’ve addressed some of it, but specifically, if you could address what is being done.
Mayor Adams: First, I think it’s important to know what’s the history of the overproliferation of guns. They have historically been in underserved communities, as we’ve stated. Black and brown communities, for the most part. This has been the history.
When you look at violence in Brownsville, Harlem, South Bronx, many of our young people pick up these guns because they were not receiving the real services to ensure they could not deal with gang violence and gun violence. When you think about gun violence, almost 50 percent is dealing with some form of association or attachment to gangs.
This has been a history, long, not in the last three years to four years, but even when I was a child. And so, we knew we had to zero in on what are the feeders to this violence. What causes a young person to get involved in this violence? And who are they? And that was my focus when I came into office.
A lot of them are foster care children. And we were watching our foster care children age out at 18, six to 700 a year were aging out and slipping through the cracks. So, what do we do? We’re paying their college tuition and giving them life coaches after they’re 21 years old and giving them a stipend so that they could go on with their lives and get the support that they need as any child would do.
And we knew that violence like gun violence happens after the school hours. So, what are we doing? We’re doing universal after school programs so our young people can have a place to go and participate in some form of development of their full personhood. And we also knew that many of our young people are dealing with financial restraints. And so that’s why we have paid internships, 11,000 to be exact.
And then we looked at places like NYCHA. Our public housing has always been a location where violence occurs at a large number, particularly gun violence. And for the first time, you’re seeing a substantial decrease in crime in NYCHA. And we targeted our NYCHA young people with our Summer Youth Employment [Program]. We had jobs that were allocated just for them so we could bring them into employment and give them the support they need.
And during summer months, as you saw historically, gun violence goes up over the summer months. And what we did for so many years, they were called by advocates to have a larger number of summer jobs. We, for the first time, had over 100,000 summer jobs and had our young people in school all year round. Over 110,000 young people were able to be in school all year round where they were able to get the support they needed during the summer months.
And as I stated, we also were proactive, I would say reactive, in that we removed 23,000 illegal guns off our streets, close to 24,000 actually. And we targeted those areas where we knew there was gun proliferation for the many years that we were conscious of.
And yes, it is down. And so, when you hear a high-profile shooting, it strikes your conscience and you begin to believe that these shootings are out of control. But in fact, the numbers don’t lie. We have the lowest number of shootings and victims of shootings in the recorded history of the city. The lowest number. And because we targeted those hot spots where the gangs were located.
Ferguson: Mayor, I believe we may be able to grab one caller. Caller, you’re on the line. What do you have for the mayor? People have been trying to get to you.
Question: Hi, Mayor Adams. My name is Gwen. I live in East Harlem. We met a long time ago. I wanted to put the spotlight on another part of this equation. And I think that this is, you know, this is not just a problem for New York City. This is a national problem. And one of the things we never discuss is the correlation between the legal drugs that we give children in school and gun violence.
And there are several studies, one of them Dr. Peter Breggin had spoken about, in the correlation between children that have been taking these drugs and gun violence. And actually, every single one of the kids that was involved in the mass shootings were children that had been taking legal drugs in school. They were taking Ritalin. They were taking Prozac. And now, if you read the bottles of these medicines, it tells you right there, at least on Prozac it does, that there’s a homicidal effect.
Now, it seems to me that we’ve done more to guard these, you know, drug companies than we have our own children. And I know you know this. I ran for City Council in New York City, that there are children, for example, like my neighbors, that weren’t allowed to go to school unless the parents would capitulate to be giving their drugs, like Ritalin, to their children. And this was just made easier for teachers so they didn’t have to deal with children—
Ferguson: Let Mayor Adams respond, because I believe he has to leave shortly. Can you quickly give us a response before you go, mayor, on that?
Mayor Adams: Yes. I don’t have any evidence, or I don’t know the review on this topic. I would love if there’s any reports—
Question: Dr. Peter Breggin. You can look at his work. But there’s several studies, and they’re well hidden there. I mean, it’s not something that’s right out there in the public. They don’t want you to know nationally that this could be a correlation. But, you know, you’re a smart man. And I think it would be really, really advantageous for you to look at the other sources of why this is going on.
I know how old you are. You’re around the same age as me. And when you and I went to school, we did not have mass shootings. We’ve had violence in Harlem, East Harlem, and other poor communities for different reasons.
Ferguson: Yes, ma’am. Your point is well taken. Thank you. I know the mayor has to leave at 7:45 [am]. He has informed me he has another engagement. Mayor Adams, I would love to have you back at some time to continue this discussion. It is such an important matter. And I’m asking you to continue to work for a total federal assault weapons ban and for more effective regulation of firearms. Thank you very much, mayor, for coming.
Mayor Adams: Thank you and have a good day. Take care.
Wisdom: Thank you, Mayor Adams. And I look forward to your plans to deal with gun violence if reelected. That’s what I’m looking forward to.
