Elizabeth, NJ car accidents: where they happen and how to get your report
Elizabeth had 2,287 police-reported car accidents that hurt or killed someone in 2023 and 2024, about 3 a day. 3,109 people were hurt and 24 died. That is the 5th highest count of New Jersey's 564 municipalities and about a quarter of the total on our Union County car accident hub.
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Where do most car accidents happen in Elizabeth?
Half happen on city streets with no route number: 1,165 of 2,287 injury accidents, led by Elizabeth Avenue. The Turnpike (255) and Route 1 (237) lead the numbered roads.
The last column shows who usually took the report. The State Police handled most Turnpike crashes (see Turnpike mileposts in Elizabeth) and some on Route 81 and I-278. On Routes 1, 27 and 439 and the city streets, they handled 13 of 7,497 crashes.
See the full table
| Road | Hurt or killed | All crashes | People killed | Pedestrian crashes | State Police cases (all crashes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City streets with no route number | 1,165 | 5,563 | 9 | 198 | 12 |
| New Jersey Turnpike (I-95) | 255 | 1,354 | 1 | 2 | 834 |
| Route 1 (Herbert Highway) | 237 | 800 | 8 | 24 | 1 |
| Route 27 (Newark Avenue, North Broad Street, Westfield Avenue) | 160 | 532 | 2 | 43 | 0 |
| Route 439 (Elmora Avenue) | 158 | 602 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| County Route 623 (Broad Street) | 82 | 302 | 2 | 18 | 0 |
| I-278 | 37 | 129 | 1 | 0 | 32 |
| Route 81 | 31 | 235 | 0 | 1 | 110 |
Our Route 1 corridor page follows that road beyond the city. Next door, Newark car accident data and Linden crash counts use the same method.
Which Elizabeth intersection has the most injury accidents?
East Grand Street at Reid Street, with 24 injury accidents in 2024 and 2025. No other corner in Union County reached 18, and the next in Elizabeth, Magie Avenue at Stiles Street, had 11.
Almost every crash here is the same kind. 47 of its 53 crashes, and 21 of the 24 injury accidents, were coded "Right Angle", against 25 percent of injury accidents citywide. Our side-impact and T-bone collision guide covers those crashes.
See the full table
| Intersection | Hurt or killed (2024 + 2025) | 2024 | 2025 (preliminary) | All crashes | Pedestrian crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Grand Street at Reid Street | 24 | 9 | 15 | 53 | 1 |
| Magie Avenue at Stiles Street | 11 | 4 | 7 | 21 | 1 |
| Fairmount Avenue at Route 27 (Newark Avenue) | 10 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 4 |
| Magnolia Avenue at Walnut Street | 9 | 4 | 5 | 19 | 0 |
| Division Street at Trumbull Street | 8 | 2 | 6 | 17 | 2 |
| Division Street at Livingston Street | 7 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 2 |
| Pearl Street at South Street | 7 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 2 |
Seven more corners tie at 6 injury accidents
| Intersection | Hurt or killed (2024 + 2025) | 2024 | 2025 (preliminary) | All crashes | Pedestrian crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Street at Sixth Street | 6 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 0 |
| South Broad Street at South Street | 6 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 2 |
| Marshal Street at Sixth Street | 6 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 0 |
| Route 439 (South Elmora Avenue) at West Grand Street | 6 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 2 |
| Elizabeth Avenue at South Second Street | 6 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 2 |
| Franklin Street at South 5th Street | 6 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| Marshal Street at Third Street | 6 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
Statewide leaders are on our page on the New Jersey intersections with the most injury accidents.
How often are pedestrians hit in Elizabeth?
About every two days: 351 pedestrian crashes in 2023 and 2024, 41 percent of Union County's 847, far above the city's share of all injury accidents.
315 of those crashes hurt or killed someone, 13.8 percent of the city's injury accidents. The share is 8.2 percent in Union County and 6.6 percent statewide. 131 of the 351 were recorded in the dark.
198 were on city streets, 43 on Route 27 and 37 on Route 439.4
Does PIP cover you as a pedestrian? Usually PIP on your own or a household member's auto policy pays the medical bills, even though no car of yours was involved. See what to do after a pedestrian crash in New Jersey and NJ appeals cases on pedestrians hit by cars.
How do I look up an Elizabeth, NJ accident report?
Check the card or case number the officer gave you: Elizabeth police reports go on CrashDocs, State Police reports on the state portal.
- Elizabeth Police Department. Once a traffic supervisor approves the NJTR-1, it is free on CrashDocs in 3 to 5 business days. Enter your name and email, and the report is emailed to you.
- Turnpike, Route 81 and I-278. These are mostly State Police cases. Request them on the shared NJSP and Turnpike Authority crash report site with the case number from the trooper.
- A fatal Turnpike crash. That NJTR-1 comes through the OPRA form on the Turnpike Authority's website. Report questions go to 732-442-8600 ext. 2431.
- Other city records. The Records Division at 1 Police Plaza (908-558-2000) handles OPRA requests.
The city's online reporting form is not for collisions: it requires "no injured persons" and excludes motor vehicle collisions.5
The basic crash report is a public record. Fees, the SR-1 self-report, and what happens if you miss the 10-day deadline are on our New Jersey accident report guide.
How many people die in Elizabeth car accidents?
24 people died in Elizabeth crashes in 2023 and 2024, and 11 of them were on foot. Statewide, pedestrians were 409 of 1,294 deaths, about 32 percent.
Route 1 had 8 deaths, more than any other road, and the Turnpike 1. 15 of the 24 deaths happened in the dark, as did 37 percent of all injury accidents (854), against 28 percent statewide.
2024 counts are floors because May to August 2024 is thin in the records.
Elizabeth crashes by year, 2023 to 2025
| Year | All crashes | Hurt or killed | People hurt | People killed | Pedestrian crashes | Bicycle crashes | All crashes, May to August |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5,456 | 1,216 | 1,670 | 12 | 180 | 81 | 1,989 |
| 2024 | 4,699 | 1,071 | 1,439 | 12 | 171 | 53 | 1,058 |
| 2025 (preliminary) | 5,523 | 1,368 | 1,865 | 6 | 233 | 96 | 1,852 |
Elizabeth accident questions
What happened today in Elizabeth, NJ: was there a crash?
This page counts police records, not live events, and records lag by weeks. A crash on the Turnpike today or yesterday is a State Police case; its report comes through the NJSP and Turnpike Authority site. If the other driver fled, see who pays after a hit and run in New Jersey.
What happened in a fatal car accident in Elizabeth, New Jersey?
Fatal crashes reach our counts through the NJ State Police feed: 24 deaths in 2023 and 2024, 11 of them people on foot. For a fatal Turnpike crash, the report comes through the Turnpike Authority's OPRA form, not the online portal.
Where is the latest breaking news on an Elizabeth, NJ crash today?
Call the Elizabeth Police Department at 908-558-2000. For your own crash, follow the report steps above.
How does the accident rate in Elizabeth, NJ compare?
Elizabeth had about 8 injury accidents a year for every 1,000 residents (2,287 over two years, 137,298 residents in 2020). The Union County town rankings compare it with its neighbours, and Plainfield's right-angle crash records show another Union County town.
What these numbers can and cannot tell you
The counts on this page are police-reported car accidents from NJDOT crash records, analyzed by us. They show where and when accidents where someone was hurt happened in Elizabeth. They do not show who was at fault in any accident, and they say nothing about whether you have a claim or what it could be worth.
Rules that apply anywhere in New Jersey
- Your own auto policy's PIP pays eligible medical expenses "no matter who caused the auto accident," up to your policy's limit and after its deductible and co-pay. If you chose your health insurance as primary, it pays first and PIP pays second. A claim against the other driver for pain and suffering is separate: it depends on fault and on the lawsuit option on your policy. 7
- Being partly at fault does not stop you from recovering, as long as your share is not greater than the other driver's, or the combined share of all the drivers you claim against (the "51 percent" rule). Your damages are reduced by your share. 8
- If someone is hurt or killed, or property damage to any one person is over $500, the driver must tell the police right away and send a written report to the Motor Vehicle Commission within 10 days, unless a police officer files one. If police did not investigate, New Jersey's SR-1 self-reporting form is the form for that. 9
- An injury lawsuit generally must be filed within two years, and a claim against a public body (a town, the state, NJ Transit) needs a written notice within 90 days. These are general rules with exceptions; check your own dates with a lawyer. 10
Next steps: how to get your New Jersey accident report, agency by agency, and how New Jersey no-fault (PIP) insurance works after an accident. This is general information, not legal advice.
Hurt in a car accident in Elizabeth? Take the 30-second New Jersey quiz to see if a lawyer's office may review your claim for free.
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Sources
- NJDOT crash records 2023 and 2024, our analysis; Elizabeth 2,287 of Union County's 9,235 injury accidents.
- our count of the NJDOT records, 2023 and 2024, by NJDOT route number and State Police station.
- our count of the NJDOT records, crashes flagged as at an intersection, 2024 and 2025.
- our analysis of the NJDOT records, 2023 and 2024; Union County and statewide shares from the same records.
- City of Elizabeth, Car-Fax Reports, Property and Records and Citizen Incident Reports; NJSP and NJTA crash report request site.
- our analysis of the NJDOT records, with fatal crashes from the NJ State Police feed; statewide May to August crashes 85,985 (2023), 87,850 (2024) and 88,573 (2025).
- NJ DOBI Auto Insurance Buyer's Guide 2026, p. 2 for the no-fault quote, and the same guide's PIP deductible and co-pay section; DOBI health insurance as primary
- N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.1; NJ DOBI comparative negligence FAQ
- N.J.S.A. 39:4-130; NJDOT self-reporting crash form
- N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2; N.J.S.A. 59:8-8
How we counted
- Injury accident: a police-reported crash where someone was hurt or killed (NJTR-1). Scope: every crash NJDOT assigns to Elizabeth City.
- Records: NJDOT 2023 to 2025 (NJDOT Crash Data Portal) via nj-crashes, fatal crashes from the State Police feed; 2025 preliminary. Totals, roads, pedestrians and darkness use 2023 and 2024; corners 2024 and 2025.
- Roads group on route number ("I-95" and "N.J. Turnpike" together). State Police case: a State Police station on the record (977 of 989 Newark).
- Corner spellings are not merged, so counts are floors. "Dark" covers four codes (statewide 31,491 of 112,966).
- Counts, not risk rates. Nothing here speaks to fault, claims or settlements.