Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 26, there were 68 hate crimes in the city, compared to just 44 such crimes during the same period last year, according to the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force. | AP Photo | AP Photo City sees spike in anti-Semitic hate crimes

There has been a 55 percent jump in the number of hate crimes in New York City so far this year compared to a year ago, driven by nearly double the number of hate crimes targeting Jews, according to the New York Police Department.

Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 26, there were 68 hate crimes in the city, compared to just 44 such crimes during the same period last year, according to the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force. Between that time the number of anti-Semitic crimes jumped, from 18 a year ago, to 35 so far this year.


No other category of hate crimes is in double digits, according to police.

Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told reporters in Queens today that the anti-Semitic crimes were largely driven by hate crimes committed in the New York City transit system — specifically, swastikas written in subway cars. So far this year, there were 16 hate crimes in the transit system, compared to just five a year earlier, he said.

Mayor Bill de Blasio — who previously said rhetoric from President Donald Trump’s campaign helped lead to this trend — said today that "an atmosphere of hate has been fostered in recent months in America and we have to stop it.”

Other anti-Semitic hate crimes the NYPD has documented include four bomb threats, two at community centers, one at a museum, and one as the headquarters of the Anti-Defamation League. Boyce said police here believe the bomb threats are “part of a nationwide pattern” because “specific verbiage” was used. He also said the NYPD is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate the threats.