Felony crime in the subway system rose 6.6 percent from January through March, NYPD officials said Monday.
The figures are part of a trend that authorities have been warning about since the beginning of the year.
There were 613 major felonies compared to 575 during the same period last year, according to crime statistics.
The rise in crime is led by more grand larcenies and assaults, said NYPD Transit Assistant Chief Vincent Coogan.
It’s typically the work of one or two creeps who serially rob or attack victims, he said .
“With a relatively low number of crimes each day, it only take a few thefts to take us from near-record lows to a concerning increase in property crimes,” Coogan said. “In fact, one or two perpetrators can have a big — but usually short-lived — affect on crime.”
Hate crimes are also dramatically up in the subway, with 31 from the beginning of the year through March, compared to seven in the same period in 2016. Most of those crimes are graffiti, Coogan said.