The Rio de Janeiro state government announced on Friday (02/01) that it recorded 138 police incidents related to the 2026 New Year’s Eve celebrations across the state. According to the Guanabara Palace, the figure represents a slight decrease compared to the 140 incidents reported during the previous year and a sharp drop from the 265 occurrences registered during the 2023–2024 festivities. Despite the overall reduction, the celebrations were marked by serious episodes of violence, including one death and seven people injured by gunfire in different municipalities, as well as arrests for theft and other crimes during large public events such as the Copacabana fireworks. State authorities attributed the lower total number of incidents to reinforced policing, preventive actions and the use of technology, while acknowledging that isolated but severe cases continued to pose challenges during the celebrations.
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Incidents
According to the Rio de Janeiro state government, of the 138 incidents recorded, 69 were thefts committed between 12 p.m. on December 31 and 12 p.m. on January 1 during New Year’s Eve events. When questioned, the Civil Police stated that they do not yet have detailed figures specifying the exact types of crimes included in this total or their precise locations, such as whether they occurred on Copacabana beach or in other parts of the state. The lack of disaggregated data makes a more precise assessment of the dynamics of these crimes difficult.
Shots
During the New Year’s Eve 2026 fireworks celebrations in the state of Rio de Janeiro, one person died and seven others were injured by gunfire in different municipalities. In São Gonçalo, in the metropolitan region, Tony Viegas Noronha, 47, was celebrating his birthday at his girlfriend’s son’s home when he stepped outside to get a soft drink and was fatally shot. In Niterói, on Morro do Ipiranga, Alexandro Faria Mattos, 26, and his grandmother, Maria Eugênia do Nascimento, 68, were hit in the legs while watching the fireworks. In the Lakes Region, in Rio das Ostras, a woman was shot while standing on a pier. In Baixada Fluminense, in São João de Meriti, in the Parque Tietê neighborhood, Conceição Moura Dias was shot in one leg as she left her house to see the fireworks. In the city of Rio, in the Rocha Miranda neighborhood in the North Zone, Fabrício Andrade was shot in the right foot while walking down the street shortly after midnight. In the same zone, Maria das Graças Barbosa, who was celebrating the New Year at a neighbor’s home in the Inhaúma neighborhood, was shot in the left arm.
Woman Arrested
A pregnant woman was arrested in the early hours of Thursday (01/01) during the New Year’s Eve celebrations on Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeiro’s South Zone, after being found with 29 cell phones, a professional camera and a wallet. According to the Civil Police, she was approached, questioned at the scene and arrested in flagrante delicto for theft. The Rio de Janeiro Military Police also confirmed three arrests in Copacabana during the festivities, involving cases of theft, violence against women and assault. In a separate action, the Rio Civil Police announced the recovery of 80 stolen cell phones, most of them belonging to tourists, during an operation carried out on Rua Uruguaiana, in downtown Rio de Janeiro.
Social assistance and technology
The security operation also relied on technological resources, including the use of two drones for tactical support and monitoring of large crowds. Preventive actions were carried out throughout the celebrations, resulting in the seizure of 30 sharp objects and the verification of criminal records for more than 60 individuals. On the social assistance front, teams approached 370 homeless people in Copacabana during the operation, offering support services, although only one person agreed to be taken to a municipal shelter.
Spiked Drink Scam
The state government also reported that no cases of the scam popularly known as “Goodnight Cinderella” (Spiked Drink scam) — in which victims are drugged and robbed — were registered “in recent days” related to the festivities.
Analysis:
The figures released by the Rio de Janeiro state government indicate a clear improvement in the overall management of public security during large-scale events, especially when compared to the exceptional spike recorded in the 2023–2024 New Year’s Eve period. Reinforced policing, preventive searches, and the use of surveillance technology appear to have reduced opportunistic crimes such as theft, particularly in areas with high tourist concentration. However, the relatively small difference between this year and the previous one suggests that authorities may be reaching the limits of what short-term operational measures can achieve without broader structural changes.
Despite the lower aggregate numbers, the presence of lethal and non-lethal gunshot incidents across multiple municipalities exposes a persistent and troubling pattern. These episodes, largely disconnected from mass events themselves, reflect the broader circulation of firearms and the fragility of everyday security in peripheral and residential areas. Celebratory dates tend to amplify these risks, as alcohol consumption, informal gatherings, and reduced situational awareness intersection with ongoing local conflicts and illegal gun possession, producing severe outcomes even in otherwise routine settings.
Sources: O Globo; CNN Brasil; A Folha de SP [1], [2].
