The number of hate crimes in New York City jumped by 64 percent this year, officials said Tuesday, fueled by a major spike in attacks on Jews.
The New York Police Department recorded 184 hate crimes through June 2 — up from 112 in 2018 — during a period when the city experienced a continued reduction in overall crimes.
Of the 184 incidents, 110 targeted Jews, up from 58 in 2018.
There were 18 attacks motivated by the victim's sexual orientation — up from 15 in 2018 — and 18 targeting victims who are black, up from 14, the NYPD said.
The next highest targeted group was whites, who were victims in 11 hate crimes, up from three in 2018.
The NYPD says 75 people have been arrested in connection with the crimes.
"There is no place for hate in New York City and the detectives of the Hate Crime Task Force are working diligently to eliminate these crimes and to bring perpetrators of hate to justice," the department said in its monthly newsletter.
John Miller, the NYPD's deputy commissioner for intelligence and counterterrorism, said his office is monitoring online hate groups and has seen an uptick in tone and rhetoric.
"Within the intelligence bureau, we have several open cases regarding groups like that," he said.
The surge in hate crimes came during a period when overall crime in New York City decreased by 6 percent.
Violent crime has dropped markedly, police say, with a 12.4 percent year-over-year reduction in murders.
There has also been a reduction in rapes, but the NYPD says they believe that rape remains underreported.
The NYPD announced that the number of murders and shooting incidents in May was the lowest recorded total in any May since the department began using computerized records in the system known as Compstat.
