New York City's long-running Roosevelt Avenue prostitution problem is back in the spotlight under Mayor Zohran Mamdani, with arrests falling sharply even as street solicitation remains visible along the Corona-Jackson Heights corridor.
According to a New York Post investigation, prostitution-related arrests along Roosevelt Avenue fell 59%. NYPD figures show 193 prostitution-related arrests through September 13 of this year, down from 468 during the same period in 2025 under former Mayor Eric Adams' "Operation Restore Roosevelt." The Post also reported that major crimes including murders and shootings were down 3% along the same corridor.
Despite that drop in arrests, the Post reported continued open street solicitation and activity tied to alleged illegal brothels along the roughly two-mile Roosevelt Avenue strip known as the "Market of Sweethearts." The corridor's problems predate Mamdani: Operation Restore Roosevelt was launched in October 2024 to target prostitution, illegal brothels, sex trafficking, unlicensed vending, and other quality-of-life concerns.
One 40-year-old Manhattan man, identified by the Post simply as "John," said he rides the subway to Queens because he can get services for "$60 to $80," compared with $200 to $300 in Manhattan. He also pointed to the limits of street-level enforcement, telling the paper: "The police are always around, but it seems like there's nothing they can do."
He added: "The women know New York laws are lax. Many come from other states... That's what they tell me."
Mamdani's own record has become pa
