NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio boasts that his 'Safe Summer' program has driven murders down nearly 50% with a 133% spike in gun arrests in July - despite violent attacks continuing to plague the streets

Mayor Bill de Blasio proudly boasted that his 'Safe Summer' program has driven down murder and gun attacks in New York City despite continued violent attacks that have plagued the streets on a daily basis.

 In April, de Blasio unveiled his 'Safe Summer' program, a plan aimed at ending gun violence that focused on creating disincentives for young people looking to turn to guns by offering them positive alternatives.   

During his daily briefing on Thursday, de Blasio proudly proclaimed that the program has been effective and said in the month of July the NYPD saw 'extraordinary successes' to curve violent crime. 

Listing statistics from July, de Blasio noted that murders decreased by 49.1 percent and shootings were down by 35 percent across the New York City. 

The NYPD made 383 gun arrests in July alone, up 133.5 percent compared to last July, the mayor said, while gun arrests in general have gone up 44.5 percent in 2021.

While de Blasio touted the success of his program he failed to mention an ongoing string of violent incidents in the streets of the Big Apple this summer that have led to the NYPD issuing hundreds of pleas to identify suspects.  

Scroll Down For Video: 

During his daily briefing on Thursday, de Blasio proudly proclaimed that the 'Safe Summer' program has been effective and said in July the NYPD curved violent crime

On Saturday, three innocent bystanders were struck when gunfire erupted outside a Washington Heights bodega

The men were gang members targeting rivals from the Trinitarios gang during the shooting on Saturday night in the borough's Corona neighborhood, police said

According to the mayor, the summer month of July is usually one of the most violent in the city but the NYPD 'rose to the challenge' and was able to suppress gun violence and executed an impressive number of gang takedowns. 

'The gang takedowns mean taking a lot of bad guys off of the streets and at the same time a lot of shooters off the streets, this is crucial,' de Blasio noted.

Overall since the safe summer program was launched in May, murders have gone down 26 percent, shootings decreased 10 percent and shooting victims are down 11 percent.

'There is more to do, but the NYPD is moving and making an impact,' de Blasio said.  

While de Blasio took his victory lap many New Yorkers are wondering if the program is actually working as the city is inundated with violent crime. 

Rapes in New York City were up 3.1 percent so far this year, with 842 reported as of August 1, compared to 817 in the same period of 2020

Shootings so far this year have steadily increased since January, with a small dip in June and July

The suspect, seen here making his escape at the 168th Street station in Washington Heights, is accused of attacking the 40-year-old victim aboard a northbound C train 

On Tuesday a man strangled a woman unconscious on a Manhattan subway train and attempted to rape her before taking off. 

According to the NYPD, the 40-year-old female subway rider was approached by a stranger who demanded her possessions and then slammed her into the train car seats.  

The burly perpetrator then strangled the victim until she lost consciousness.

Police said the assailant then groped the unresponsive woman's breasts inside her bra and tried to rape her, reported the New York Post.

When the train pulled into the 168th Street station, the attacker dragged the woman onto the subway platform and ran away.

This comes one day after police released surveillance footage of a masked attacker they say raped a 70-year-old woman at gunpoint in her apartment building in The Bronx last week.

According to the NYPD, the sexual assault took place at around 2am on July 27 in the Belmont neighborhood.

The elderly victim was entering her apartment building when she was approached from behind by a man wearing two plastic masks - a red one and a black one - on his face, police said.

Crime has rocketed by 53% in two years and system has already seen more murders in 2021 than it did for the whole of 2019

Police say the man was wearing black and red plastic masks (pictured in his right hand) when he raped the elderly woman at gunpoint in the stairwell 

On Saturday, three innocent bystanders were struck when gunfire erupted outside a Washington Heights bodega.   

Surveillance footage showed three men chasing a fourth man into a bodega as he  goes behind the counter and holds a gun to the three men with his back to the cashier. 

Shortly after the group of men took the standoff outside and began firing, striking a 42-year-old woman in the left arm, a 58-year-old woman in the buttocks and a 78-year-old man in the left arm and stomach, the New York Post reported. 

Earlier this week, surveillance footage captured the moment two men approached a crowd in a busy Queens neighborhood and fired about 40 shots, injuring 10 people before fleeing the scene on mopeds.

The shooters were targeting members of the Trinitarios gang on Saturday night in the borough's Corona neighborhood, police said.

They opened fire while some bystanders were walking outside a barbershop and others were at a nearby restaurant for a birthday party.

These incident are reflective of the overall skyrocketing crime rates in New York City. 

NYPD crime data show that rapes are up 3.1 per cent so far this year, with 842 reported as of August 1, compared to 817 in the same period of 2020.

Other sex crimes are up 26.3 per cent to 2,719 this year, compared to 2,152 last year, according to NYPD statistics.

Shootings have spiked 15.8 per cent in 2021 compared to last year, with 900 shooting incidents in 2021 compared to 777 in 2020.

There are also 12 per cent more shooting victims this year, the data shows, with 1,057 people falling prey to gun violence compared to 944 last year.

The biggest leap in crime rates is for hate crimes, which have surged by 103 per cent in the last year. The data come amid numerous random attacks on Asian Americans in the city in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.