The last month of 2024 was relatively peaceful in Brooklyn, according to the latest NYPD statistics, as reports of major felonies dropped by nearly one-quarter year-over-year.
Between Dec. 2-29, 2024, the NYPD recorded 1,817 “major felonies” — murder, rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny, and grand larceny auto — down roughly 24% from the same period in 2023, which saw 2,396 major felonies in the borough.
The month wasn’t entirely without incident, though. Compared to the same period in 2023, rape was up by 5.6% in the Brooklyn North patrol, and murder rose by one-third in Brooklyn South and one-half in Brooklyn North, for a total of seven homicides.
On Dec. 2, an unknown shooter pulled up in front of an East New York home and fatally shot 36-year-old Frankley Duran. A man in his 20s was fatally stabbed in Flatbush on Dec. 8, and another victim was shot and killed near his East Flatbush home just two days later.
The borough’s subways and buses saw their fair share of violence in December, and transit crime — which is considered separately from major felonies – was up 75% in Brooklyn South year-over-year.
An MTA bus driver allegedly stabbed a passenger on board the B41 bus after an argument on Dec. 13. Two days later, stray bullets flew through the window of a B15 bus in Brownsville and struck a passenger in the neck. Separate incidents on the Q line left one person stabbed and two shot between Dec. 18 and 21.
On Dec. 22, a man set a woman, Debrina Kawam, on fire, as she slept on board an F train at Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue, killing her. The suspect, Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, was apprehended and arrested later that day.
Crime in Brooklyn in 2024
Despite a string of violent incidents at the end of the year, major felonies across Brooklyn were down roughly 6% from 2023. Murders and shooting incidents were down 6% and 15%, respectively.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said 2024 was the safest year for gun violence in Brooklyn’s history.
“This tremendous success is a testament to the productive partnerships between my office, the NYPD and our law-enforcement partners; to the technological investments we’ve made in crime-solving tools; and to our comprehensive approach that uses preventative measures and community-centered strategies to reduce shootings,” Gonzalez said.
The decrease in murders was led by Brooklyn South, where murder was down 18%, from 61 to 50, in 2024. In Brooklyn North, however, murder was up 6.1%, from 66 to 70, and the patrol saw a 14.4% rise in rape. In Brooklyn South, felony assault and grand larceny auto rose by 3.4% and 7.7%, respectively, and the rest fell.
Rape and felony assault also ticked up citywide in 2024, stats show, part of a monthslong trend — though grand larceny auto, which police have struggled to bring under control, decreased. Vehicle thefts have largely trended upward in southern Brooklyn all year.
