New Jersey gun crime at 15-year low, data shows

EWING TOWNSHIP, N.J. - New Jersey's new data shows a 15-year record low in shooting victims. 

Coming down from as high as 1562 victims in 2012, the state says last year 924 people were shot in New Jersey, down 13 % from 2022, resulting in 191 deaths an eight percent decrease from 2022. 

"Over the past year together, we have saved a historic number of lives from gun violence in New Jersey," said Governor Phil Murphy. 

It is the first time in the last 15 years that Garden State has had under 1,000 shooting victims. 

"We are helping people feel safer in their homes and on our streets," said Murphy. 

State officials are recognizing the efforts of police officers, gun safety advocates, and organizations like Newark Community Street Team in doing their part to curb the violence. 

"The decrease in violent crime in 2023 -and this is important- was true across the entire state in our cities, in our rural areas, in our suburbs," said New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin. 

While violent crime is trending down, the epidemic of stolen cars continues to plague the Garden State. Nearly 15,000 cars were stolen in New Jersey in 2022. It is a crime that can often lead to other crimes. 

In just the last few days, several cities and towns in New Jersey have highlighted upticks, including Newark, Westfield, and other towns. 

In Ewing, a Township of about 36,000, Police Chief Albert Rhodes says they have seen car thefts rise from around 40 per year in 2020, to around 70. 

"Auto theft in Ewing township itself, I guess since COVID, has steadily increased over the last three or four years," said Rhodes. "A lot of those that we deal with in Ewing Township are crimes of opportunity. They're not necessarily targeted motor vehicle thefts, yet there are people that are burglarizing unlocked cars and finding spare keys in there." 

Last June, Governor Murphy signed several measures into law combatting car theft. Data from 2023 has yet to be released.