New Jersey Sees Big Crime Drop in 2025

New Jersey has seen a big drop in crime in 2025. Governor Phil Murphy shared this good news. He said there were fewer shootings and car thefts. This is the fourth year in a row that shootings have gone down. Last year, 559 people were shot in New Jersey. That is 28% fewer than the year before. Out of these, 107 people died. When Murphy first became governor, over 1, 300 people were shot each year. So, the drop is significant. Car thefts also went down. In 2025, there were 13, 693 car thefts. That is 9% fewer than in 2024. Murphy signed a law in 2023 to punish car thieves more harshly. This might have helped the drop.Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way said the state has strong tools to fight crime. She said these tools have made New Jersey safer. State Attorney General Matthew Platkin said treating gun violence as a health issue helped. He also said big cities like Paterson and Newark saw fewer shootings. Paterson had a big drop in shootings. Last year, there were 42 shootings. The year before, there were 127. Newark also saw fewer murders. Last year, there were 31 murders. That is 19% fewer than the year before. Local groups that stop gun violence played a big role. Platkin said these groups do important work. Murphy said these groups know the community better than police or officials. Lt. Col. David Sierotowicz said the crime drop is because of teamwork. He said it is not just numbers. It is lives saved.