Between January and July 2025, 4,133 people went missing in São Paulo city—an average of 20 disappearances per day, according to the Public Security Department (SSP). Over 1,100 of them remain unaccounted for. Authorities emphasize that the first hours are critical for locating missing individuals and advise filing a police report immediately. The Homicide Division keeps a centralized database accessible to all police precincts. Behind the statistics are painful stories like those of Aparecida and Maria Luiza, two mothers whose sons vanished, describing their ongoing anguish as worse than death.
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Between January and June 2025, the state of São Paulo recorded 379 attempted femicides, a 316% increase compared to 2023, averaging two cases per day. Femicides also rose from 111 in 2023 to 129 in 2025 during the same period. Physical assaults against women reached 33,317 cases, while 57,785 protective measures were granted, more than in any other Brazilian state. Despite this progress, legal experts warn that these tools remain insufficient in the face of systemic and rising gender-based violence. Lawyer Mayra Cotta stresses that femicides are rarely isolated events and are typically preceded by controlling and psychological abuse.
30/07/2025 – On Wednesday (30/07), an 88-year-old woman was killed after being hit by a motorcyclist performing a wheelie in Itaquera, East São Paulo, while she was out donating clothes. The suspect, a 28-year-old man, was caught on CCTV riding on one wheel moments before the collision. He remained at the scene, assisted the victim, and was not arrested. Despite that, the case is now being investigated as intentional homicide.
31/07/2025 – On Thursday night (31/07), three men impersonating civil police officers were arrested in Jardim Iguatemi, East Zone, after attempting to extort a Bolivian immigrant family. Wearing bulletproof vests and uniforms resembling those of the Civil Police’s GOE unit, the suspects entered the house armed and carrying handcuffs and a fake judicial warrant. Military police were alerted by neighbors, and bodycam footage captured the moment of arrest, during which one suspect refused to identify himself. A third man was detained nearby in a car.
01/08/2025 – On Friday (01/08), a 30-year-old woman was found dead in the pool of Motel Astúrias, located on Marginal Pinheiros, West Zone. According to São Paulo’s Public Security Secretariat, she had checked in the previous night with a man who later left the premises. The next day, staff found her unresponsive after receiving no answer to their attempts to extend the stay. While police were at the scene, the same man returned and booked another suite. The case is under investigation as a suspicious death.
02/08/2025 – On Saturday night (02/08), around 15 armed men carried out a home invasion at a residential building on Alameda dos Anapurus, in Moema, a wealthy neighborhood in São Paulo’s South Zone. The suspects used a registered garage remote to enter the building on Alameda dos Anapurus around 23:00. They overpowered the doorman, disabled the security cameras, and ambushed residents as they arrived, forcing them into their apartments. The criminals stole valuables such as cash, jewelry, electronics, and a black Fiat Argo used in their escape.
02/08/2025 – On Saturday (02/08), in the Pinheiros neighborhood, a couple with a baby was threatened by an armed fake deliveryman during a robbery on Rua Joaquim Antunes. Another similar robbery occurred the following evening on the same street. In January, a 23-year-old man was killed during a robbery at the same location by assailants also disguised as deliverymen. The area is repeatedly targeted. Authorities stress the importance of filing police reports and report a 13% decrease in robberies this year.
03/08/2025 – On Sunday (03/08), in the Lapa district, West Zone, a 43-year-old woman died after being violently assaulted following a punk concert. The victim was punched, kicked, and suffered head trauma during a fight involving two other women, as seen on surveillance footage. She was taken to the hospital but died. The investigation was reclassified as intentional homicide by the civil police, who are working to identify the attackers visible in the video. Helen Vitai, a member of a punk collective, was reportedly attacked due to a social media dispute.
03/08/2025 – On Sunday (03/08), a Brazilian personal trainer reported being sexually harassed by crew members during a TAAG Airlines flight from Luanda to São Paulo. Three male flight attendants allegedly made degrading and sexual remarks, including insinuations that her husband should “share” her. The victim, deeply shaken, reported the incident to police and the airline, which issued an apology and launched an internal investigation. The case will be forwarded to the Federal Police since the events occurred in international airspace.
04/08/2025 – On Monday night (04/08), Santos FC supporters vandalized São Paulo/Morumbi station on Metro Line 4-Yellow in São Paulo following their team’s 3–1 win over Juventude at Morumbis Stadium. Fans tore down signage and advertising linked to São Paulo FC, the stadium’s owner. The metro operator, ViaQuatro, condemned the vandalism, took immediate action through its security staff, and notified the company responsible for the station’s advertising. Santos FC also issued a statement repudiating the acts and pledged full cooperation with authorities to identify and hold the perpetrators accountable.
05/08/2025 – On Tuesday (05/08), São Paulo Civil Police arrested 25 people in an ongoing nationwide operation targeting a criminal organization accused of illegally manufacturing and selling anabolic steroids. The group allegedly distributed controlled substances online without prescriptions under a self-branded label linked to a clandestine lab. Authorities are executing 35 arrest warrants and 85 search and seizure orders across São Paulo and 11 other states. According to police, the network moved R$25 million over five years.
05/08/2025 – On Tuesday (05/08), a man was caught in the act while attempting to steal the wheels of a vehicle in the parking lot of Congonhas Airport. Police suspect him of being involved in at least eight similar thefts in parking lots across the city. He posed as an airline passenger, carrying a suitcase, and used a car with falsified license plates, in which officers found tools, bricks, and various caps to avoid security cameras. Although the number of incidents has declined compared to 2024, the state recorded over 600 wheel thefts in the first half of 2025. Authorities state they are stepping up inspections in scrapyards and auto parts shops to curb this type of crime.
05/08/2025 – On Tuesday (05/08), two men broke into a residential building on Alameda dos Anapurus Street, in Moema, entering through the garage with a remote control. They tied up a 63-year-old resident inside his apartment, where his 95-year-old bedridden father was also present. Three days earlier, on Saturday (02/08), about 15 criminals had already invaded another building on the same street using a similar method of entry. They stole valuables, a vehicle, and attempted to force bank transfers via PIX. The civil police are investigating both incidents.
06/08/2025 – On Wednesday (06/08), a rideshare driver was kidnapped for three hours in Itaquera, East São Paulo, by three armed men. The criminals used his cards to buy drinks and meat, causing damage of around R$4,000. His wife, alerted by a phone tracking and audio app, notified the police. During the escape, the suspects crashed into another car, causing it to catch fire and seriously injuring the woman driving it. Two of the criminals were taken to the hospital, and one to the police station.
07/08/2025 – On Thursday afternoon (07/08), a military police officer was shot during an operation against two suspects accused of a robbery spree in the Paraisópolis favela, South Zone. The two men, spotted on a motorcycle, were pursued into the community by police. During the attempted arrest, a struggle broke out, and one of the suspects shot the officer in the neck. The assailants fled the scene with the officer’s firearm. The victim was taken to the hospital.
07/08/2025 – On Thursday evening (07/08), a 17-year-old student was seriously injured in the face after being stabbed multiple times with scissors by an 18-year-old classmate during a classroom fight at José Chediak Public School in Parque São Lucas, East São Paulo. The altercation, caught on video, allegedly started over a dispute involving a chair. The victim was treated by emergency responders and taken to the hospital. Police found the two students had a history of previous violence earlier in the week.
08/08/2025 – On Friday (08/08), Átila Carlai da Luz, one of Brazil’s most wanted criminals, was arrested in a luxury condominium in São Paulo by Rio de Janeiro’s Civil Police. He had been sentenced to 32 years in prison for international drug trafficking using Guarulhos Airport to ship narcotics to Europe, relying on corrupt staff and accomplices in Portugal. He was also linked to the infamous 2005 Banco Central heist in Fortaleza. At the time of his arrest, he was living under a false identity. Átila also had prior convictions for ATM fraud in Rio.
