Newport Beach recorded 2,155 crimes in the first eight months of 2026, according to preliminary statistics the Newport Beach Police Department published Thursday, Sept. 10.

Property offenses accounted for more than half the total at 1,172 incidents. Larceny and theft led all crime categories with 572 reports, followed by fraud at 185 and vandalism at 151. Burglary totaled 90 incidents, and motor vehicle theft reached 70.

Society offenses totaled 609. Narcotics violations drove that category at 499 incidents, ranging from a low of 52 in May to a high of 77 in January. Weapons offenses added 92.

Person offenses came in at 374. Assault accounted for 331 of those, including 257 simple assaults and 54 aggravated assaults. The department recorded 29 forcible sex offenses, 13 kidnappings and one negligent manslaughter in February.

July was the busiest month overall, with 327 incidents. May was the quietest at 227. Larceny and theft spiked in July at 98 reports, the highest single-month figure for any property crime.

The department noted the figures are unofficial and subject to change.

NBPD tracks crime using the FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which counts each offense within an incident separately rather than only the most serious one. The system categorizes offenses into person, property and society crimes.

For context, Newport Beach recorded 3,853 total crimes for all of 2025, a 12.7% drop from 4,413 in 2024. Full-year 2025 property offenses totaled 2,081, society offenses 1,075 and person offenses 697. A direct comparison to the first eight months of 2025 was not available in the published data.

The department has not announced when it will release updated statistics covering September and beyond. Residents can view the full breakdown on the NBPD's crime statistics page.