Drug-infested Washington Sq. Park was by far essentially the most harmful inexperienced area within the metropolis final 12 months — with greater than twice as a lot crime dedicated there than all of huge Central Park, information present.
The enduring however beleaguered Greenwich Village park — residence to so many druggies and different criminals that neighborhood officers need to erect a gate round it — is fewer than 10 acres but racked up 101 reported crimes, in line with statistics.
There have been 67 grand larcenies, 24 felony assaults and 10 robberies reported contained in the park in 2025, figures revealed.
By comparability, Central Park is 99% bigger at 843 acres — but registered half as many crimes, or 52 incidents.
New York College pupil Christiana Garcia advised The Publish on Monday that when she’s been at close by Washington Sq. Park, “There have been a whole lot of unhoused individuals who had been simply doing actually arduous medicine — like with needles and stuff like that.’’
The 22-year-old undergrad recalled a number of cases of undesirable sexual advances from perverts who tried to show themselves to her within the park — in addition to one terrifying encounter with an obvious homeless man who “tried to swing at me.
“I ran away, after which I acquired into my Uber, and he was banging on the window,” Garcia mentioned.
Fellow pupil Jasmine Greenblatt, 21, mentioned a bunch of youngsters who had been within the park supposedly in search of donations for his or her basketball staff lately tricked her into handing over her cellphone — and despatched themselves $500 from her Venmo account earlier than working off.
“As a result of it’s near campus, I nonetheless go,” Greenblatt mentioned. “However Wash is certainly my most hated park.”
Coming in at infamous No. 2 on the checklist of town’s most crime-riddled inexperienced areas was big Flushing Meadows park in Queens, the place there have been 78 crimes reported final 12 months.
Subsequent was Coney Island’s boardwalk in Brooklyn — which town formally lists as a “park’’ within the stats — with 60 crimes, adopted by Central Park with 52 and Manhattan’s Bryant Park with 46.
The 5 parks additionally logged essentially the most variety of crimes in 2024, with the numbers primarily holding regular.
In all, cops obtained 338 theft, 248 felony assault and 447 grand larceny stories throughout the greater than 1,160 metropolis parks final 12 months – with 15% of grand larceny complaints stemming from Washington Sq. Park alone.
NYPD sources advised The Publish that police have been “dedicated to security in Washington Sq. Park by addressing neighborhood issues and deploying sources to the realm.”
The park was focused by an inflow of cops final fall as residents complained that junkies had turned it right into a 24/7 open-air drug den.
And the state of affairs could also be trying up, no less than on the books.
Thus far this 12 months, from Jan. 1 to Might 3, there have been eight crimes reported within the park in comparison with 21 throughout the identical interval final 12 months, marking a 61.9% lower.
“This coincides with 36.4% lower in 311 requires service and a 68.75% lower in 911 requires service,” the Police Division mentioned.
The newest crime stats come amid a controversial push from some locals to put in everlasting gates on the park to stop scofflaws from leaping over the flimsy police barricades that at the moment block off late-night entry.
Whereas the park is closed from midnight to six a.m. every day, common parkgoers advised The Publish that illicit late-night exercise is widespread on the widespread inexperienced area.
Nonetheless, many longtime locals seemed to be in opposition to the brand new proposal for everlasting gates, citing a want to protect the inexperienced area’s traditionally “free” spirit.
“I simply really feel like it could actually destroy, and create an absence of, neighborhood,” mentioned 19-year-old pupil Zachary Foster.
“It’s so open and free which you can form of do something,” he mentioned. “If all people does what they’re speculated to [and] follows the principles, then clearly it could work wonderful.”
The Washington Sq. Park Conservancy, which maintains the park, advised The Publish it helps a decision requesting town Parks Division “present a spread of conventional and non-traditional closure suggestions that deal with the operational wants whereas supporting continued public entry to Washington Sq. Park.”
“We’ve seen how the collaboration between companies, together with the NYPD and NYC Parks, has made Washington Sq. Park safer and extra welcoming for its thousands and thousands of holiday makers annually,” mentioned Will Morrison, the Washington Sq. Park Conservancy’s govt director.
“The Conservancy stays dedicated to working alongside the Metropolis of New York and our companions to assist the park by offering free public applications, organizing volunteer alternatives, and funding workers to maintain the park trying its finest.”
A 70-year-old native named David mentioned Washington Sq. Park is way safer because the cops began to crack down on open drug use — and famous his assist for a everlasting gate to shut the park after-hours.
“It’s very completely different. Now you see a stroller, an previous man smoking a cigar: Yeah, I really feel fairly secure,” David mentioned.
“You don’t need folks sleeping right here,” he mentioned.
“There’s nothing unsuitable with closing a park at evening and opening it up within the morning.”
