A spike in crime on the Long Island Rail Road means dozens of MTA officers will start riding the train during peak hours in the new year.

Team 12 Investigates the crime statistics that prompted this increase in patrols. The number of nearly all major felonies went up over the last year, particularly thefts. MTA Police Chief John Mueller said sleeping passengers have been the targets in most of these cases.

There have been 78 major felonies on the LIRR so far this year, a 73% increase from the first eight months of 2021. Starting in January, around 60 MTA officers will start their day at 5 a.m. boarding LIRR and Metro-North trains, riding into the city during the early rush and then making the return trip during the evening.

According to MTA data, the number of robberies jumped 200%, from five in 2021 to 15 in 2022. MTA police are also seeing a sharp rise in grand larcenies which involves stolen property valued between $1,000 and $3,000. There have been 38 grand larcenies on the LIRR as of August 2022, a 124% increase from this time last year.

Nicole Ehmig, of Central Islip, said she rides the train almost every day and is not surprised by this rise in crime.

"It's public transportation therefore you can expect those kinds of things happening," Ehmig says.

MTA police said the majority of grand larceny victims were either sleeping on the train or lost property that was later taken. They are urging passengers to stay on alert throughout their ride.

Commuter Angelina Leibman said these numbers reiterate her reasons for never sleeping on the train, especially during peak hours.

"I've never done it, but I understand if someone was like super tired or coming home from somewhere really late and it happens on accident," Leibman says. "But, you definitely should never do that."

There has been seen a slight increase in the number of felony assaults and burglaries on the LIRR, as well as one murder this year.

MTA police are also seeing more incidents of assaults and harassments against Long Island Railroad employees. Data shows there were 9 assaults and 8 harassments against employees in August 2022—more than double the amount reported in August 2021.