Governor Phil Murphy, Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, and New Jersey State Police (NJSP) Acting Superintendent Lieutenant Colonel Dave Sierotowicz today announced major reductions in the number of shooting victims, shooting murder victims, and auto thefts in New Jersey in 2025. Today’s press conference took place at the East Rutherford Municipal Court building, a regular host site for CorrStat meetings that brief state law enforcement officials on the region’s criminal environment.
In 2025, 559 victims suffered gunshot injuries in New Jersey, a drop of 28% from 2024, when a then-record low of 778 shooting victims marked the second time that fewer than 1,000 gun violence victims were recorded since statewide tracking began in 2009. Of the total victims shot in 2025, there were 107 fatalities, a reduction of 31% from 2024.
The numbers of shooting victims and shooting murder victims has now fallen for four consecutive years to reach their all-time low. The number of people killed by gunfire was down more than 60% in 2025 from its highest point since tracking began, when 273 were killed in 2016. Nearly all major cities in New Jersey saw declines in shooting victims, including drops of more than 50% in Atlantic City and Paterson and drops between 23% and 31% in Camden, Newark, and Trenton.
Violent crimes, including shootings, many times stem from auto thefts. In 2025, the total number of stolen motor vehicles stolen statewide decreased by 9% from 2024, going from 15,041 down to 13,693 statewide, according to the NJSP’s Regional Operations Intelligence Center.
“Today, we recognize sustained progress in public safety, with shootings and auto thefts continuing to decline across New Jersey in 2025,” said Governor Murphy. “This progress reflects the strong leadership of the Office of the Attorney General, New Jersey State Police, dedicated law enforcement professionals, and community partners working together across our state. Since 2018, we have reduced crime, protected communities, and saved lives. As we recognize these accomplishments, we are also proud to have established the tools, practices, and initiatives that will support continued success in the years ahead. Even as we acknowledge this progress, we remain mindful of the victims of violence and their loved ones, as the work continues to make New Jersey safer for all.”
“New Jersey residents are seeing the results of eight years of deliberate investment in public safety, with shootings and auto thefts continuing to decline in 2025,” said Lieutenant Governor Way. “This progress reflects a broad, statewide effort between the Governor’s Office, State Legislature, Office of the Attorney General, New Jersey State Police, law enforcement, and community partners working together to reduce violence and prevent crime. While there is more work to be done, this moment underscores the strength of the tools, practices, and initiatives that have been put in place during the Murphy Administration to protect residents and support lasting public safety across our state.”
“Consistent progress like this is only possible because of the outstanding collaboration among all of our law enforcement partners,” said Attorney General Platkin. “We have taken new and strategic approaches to public safety, and they have yielded positive results in making our residents safer. Whether through community-based violence intervention programs or the continuing development of the ARRIVE Together initiative, we are making a difference. We are handing over to the incoming administration positive, established trends, and I know this important work will continue.”
“The decline in shooting victims and auto thefts is the direct result of law enforcement agencies working together and using intelligence-led policing to drive our decisions,” said Lieutenant Colonel David Sierotowicz, Acting Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “By coordinating efforts, targeting the right offenders, and deploying resources strategically, we are seeing real, measurable reductions in crime and safer communities across New Jersey.”
“Bergen County continues to rank among the safest counties in the nation, and that’s a testament to the dedication of our law enforcement officers, first responders, and community stakeholders,” said Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco. “Governor Murphy’s leadership and strong partnership with counties like ours have made public safety a clear priority across New Jersey, and together we remain committed to keeping our communities safe and welcoming for everyone who calls our state home.”
The NJSP has been increasingly using technology to guide its decision making on how to most effectively support local, state, and federal partner agencies in reducing the number of shooting incidents and victims. That approach involves the Attorney General’s Gun Violence Reduction Task Force (GVRTF), a statewide intelligence-sharing network across New Jersey’s 21 counties, which facilitates collaboration among law enforcement and prosecutors from all levels of government. The GVRTF strategically focuses law enforcement resources on drivers of violence in New Jersey.
That targeted and technologically assisted deployment of resources combined with community engagement and law enforcement partnerships kept the number of New Jersey shooting victims at 559 in 2025. In 2024, the 778 victims shot represented a 15.8% decrease compared to 2023. The 2025 total reflects a 59% decline since 2017, the year before Governor Murphy took office – and a more than 60% decline since 2021, the year before Attorney General Platkin became the state’s chief law enforcement officer.
Under Governor Murphy, New Jersey has enacted tough anti-ghost gun and large capacity magazine laws, while the state’s strict liability law holds gun traffickers criminally liable when their weapons are used in violence. New Jersey has formed a 16-state coalition to hold irresponsible firearms industry members accountable for their devastating impact on gun violence. And New Jersey’s SAFE Office, established by Attorney General Platkin in 2022, seeks to hold irresponsible members of the gun industry accountable through civil lawsuits when their weapons are used to perpetrate criminal activity.
The Auto Theft Task Force (ATTF) led by the New Jersey Division of State Police (NJSP) was formed to address the serious spike in auto thefts. The task force works both to recover individual stolen vehicles as well as to pursue long-term investigations into car theft organizations. In addition to members of the State Police, the task force is comprised of officers from various county, state, and municipal law enforcement agencies. The task force recovered dozens of stolen vehicles with a value, in total, of millions of dollars. The task force has played a key role in prosecuting offenders to deter auto theft and secure recoveries for vehicle owners.
Governor Murphy and the Legislature, with the support of the Attorney General’s Office, enacted legislation in July 2023 that has strengthened the criminal penalties for auto theft offenders, particularly for persistent, repeat offenders and large-scale automobile trafficking networks. The state works with law enforcement partners at every level to raise awareness of the new statutes and to utilize them in investigations and prosecutions statewide.
The state’s innovative approaches to public safety have become national models. The Alternative Responses to Reduce Instances of Violence and Escalation (ARRIVE) Together program – designed to improve outcomes when law enforcement responds with a mental health component – has expanded to all 21 counties, resulting in more than 15,000 successful interactions statewide since its December 2021 inception in Cumberland County. The Community Based Violence Intervention (CBVI) program, overseen by the Division of Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance (VIVA), has made a meaningful impact on communities vulnerable to violence by supporting organizations with established credibility within the communities. Over the first three quarters of 2025, CBVI programming reached more than 97,600 community members through strategic partnerships with schools, community events, group and one-on-one programs, and responses to violent incidents.
The Murphy Administration has invested more than $150 million to support Community-Based Violence Intervention programs, Hospital-based Violence Intervention programs, and Trauma Recovery Centers. Funding for ARRIVE has grown steadily and is nearly $20 million in the Fiscal 2026 State Budget.
To view the 2025 crime statistics presentation, please click here.