New Jersey officials announced significant declines in gun violence and auto thefts statewide in 2025, citing four consecutive years of reductions in shooting victims and continued decreases in vehicle thefts, according to data released Tuesday by state law enforcement authorities.
Governor Phil Murphy, Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, and New Jersey State Police Acting Superintendent Dave Sierotowicz presented the figures at a press conference at the East Rutherford Police Department, where the New Jersey State Police conducts its monthly CorrStat meetings to coordinate crime-reduction strategies with federal, state, county, and local agencies.
According to the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations Intelligence Center, 559 people suffered gunshot injuries in New Jersey in 2025, a 28% decline from 2024, when 778 shooting victims were recorded. Of those injured in 2025, 107 people were killed, representing a 31% reduction in shooting-related fatalities compared with the previous year.
State officials said the figures mark the fourth straight year of declines in both shooting victims and shooting deaths, bringing both categories to their lowest levels since New Jersey began tracking statewide gun violence data in 2009. The number of people killed by gunfire in 2025 was more than 60% lower than the peak year of 2016, when 273 shooting deaths were recorded.
Nearly all of New Jersey’s major cities saw year-over-year declines in shooting victims, officials said, including reductions of more than 50% in Atlantic City and Paterson and decreases ranging from 23% to 31% in Camden, Newark, and Trenton.
Auto thefts also declined in 2025. Statewide, 13,693 vehicles were reported stolen, down 9% from 15,041 thefts in 2024, according to state police data.
Murphy credited the reductions to coordinated efforts among law enforcement agencies and community partners, as well as investments in public safety initiatives during his administration. He said the state has focused on both enforcement and prevention while expanding tools aimed at reducing violent crime.
Platkin pointed to intelligence-led policing and collaboration across jurisdictions as key factors in the sustained declines. He also highlighted the state’s community-based violence intervention programs and the expansion of the ARRIVE Together initiative, which pairs law enforcement officers with mental health professionals during certain emergency responses.
The New Jersey State Police said technology-driven analysis and information sharing through the Attorney General’s Gun Violence Reduction Task Force have helped focus resources on individuals and networks driving violence. The task force operates as a statewide intelligence-sharing network across all 21 counties.
Officials also cited legislative changes enacted in recent years, including stricter penalties for auto theft, laws targeting ghost guns and large-capacity magazines, and measures aimed at holding gun traffickers and parts of the firearms industry civilly liable when weapons are used in crimes.
The state’s Auto Theft Task Force, led by the New Jersey State Police and composed of officers from multiple agencies, was formed in response to a spike in vehicle thefts and has focused on dismantling organized theft rings and recovering stolen vehicles. Authorities said the task force has recovered dozens of vehicles valued in the millions of dollars and played a role in prosecuting repeat offenders.
In addition to enforcement efforts, the Murphy administration has invested more than $150 million in community-based and hospital-based violence intervention programs and trauma recovery centers. Funding for the ARRIVE Together program has expanded statewide and is nearly $20 million in the fiscal year 2026 state budget, officials said.
State leaders said the downward trends in shootings and auto thefts reflect long-term strategies that they expect to continue under the next administration, while acknowledging that public safety efforts remain ongoing.