Car accidents in Lakewood, NJ: crash data, worst corners and how to get the police report
Lakewood had 1,617 police-reported car accidents in 2023 and 2024 in which someone was hurt or killed, the most in Ocean County and 8th of New Jersey's 564 municipalities. They hurt 2,136 people and killed 13.
Hurt in a Lakewood crash, on New Hampshire Road, Route 9 or a side street? Answer a few short questions, about 30 seconds, to see if a lawyer's office may review your claim for free.
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Is New Hampshire Road the worst road for crashes at Lakewood corners?
Yes. New Hampshire Road (County Route 623) is part of 5 of Lakewood's 13 busiest injury corners and 72 of its 497 intersection injury accidents in 2024 and 2025.
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| Intersection | Hurt or killed, 2024 | Hurt or killed, 2025 | People hurt | All accidents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire Road at Cedar Bridge Avenue (Route 528) | 8 | 9 | 33 | 39 |
| New Hampshire Road at Chestnut Street (County Route 40) | 8 | 3 | 14 | 58 |
| New Hampshire Road at Ocean Avenue (Route 88) | 8 | 3 | 15 | 23 |
| Airport Road at Cedar Bridge Avenue (Route 528) | 5 | 4 | 14 | 13 |
| New Hampshire Road at Route 70 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 30 |
| New Hampshire Road at Oak Street | 4 | 3 | 11 | 13 |
| Chambers Bridge Road (Route 549) at Ocean Avenue (Route 88) | 3 | 3 | 8 | 12 |
| West Cross Street at White Street | 2 | 4 | 8 | 9 |
| Linden Avenue at Ocean Avenue (Route 88) | 2 | 3 | 8 | 18 |
| First Street at Route 9 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 16 |
| Monmouth Avenue at County Line Road (Route 526) | 1 | 4 | 6 | 16 |
| County Line Road (Route 526) at Route 9 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 14 |
The 72 accidents spread over 20 cross streets. The Cedar Bridge Avenue corner ranks 11th in New Jersey on our list of 25 New Jersey intersections with the most injury accidents.
Chestnut Street had 58 accidents, the most of any corner, but most hurt no one. None of the 13 corners recorded a death. A 13th corner, Route 70 at Vermont Avenue, also had 5.2
Which Lakewood roads carry the most injury accidents?
Route 9, with 241 in 2023 and 2024, leads the numbered roads. Local streets without a route number add up to more: 471, or 29 percent of the town total.
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| Road | Hurt or killed | Share of Lakewood total | All accidents | People killed | Pedestrian crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local streets (no route number) | 471 | 29.1% | 3,357 | 2 | 90 |
| Route 9 (River Avenue, Lila W Thompson Memorial Highway) | 241 | 14.9% | 1,129 | 0 | 34 |
| Route 528 (Cedar Bridge Avenue) | 150 | 9.3% | 675 | 4 | 11 |
| Route 526 (County Line Road) | 135 | 8.3% | 558 | 1 | 9 |
| New Hampshire Road (County Route 623) | 133 | 8.2% | 564 | 2 | 3 |
| Route 88 (Ocean Avenue) | 125 | 7.7% | 474 | 0 | 18 |
| Route 70 | 107 | 6.6% | 392 | 3 | 4 |
| Garden State Parkway | 59 | 3.6% | 349 | 0 | 0 |
| County Route 626 (Cross Street) | 45 | 2.8% | 207 | 0 | 4 |
| County Route 639 | 37 | 2.3% | 134 | 1 | 2 |
The whole corridors are on our Route 9 accident data page and Route 70 accident data page. North on Route 9, Freehold Township crash data shows the same road in Monmouth County.3
Is Lakewood dangerous for people walking?
Compared with the rest of Ocean County, yes. Lakewood had 49 percent of the county's pedestrian crashes in 2023 and 2024, from a town with 27 percent of its injury accidents.
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| Measure | Lakewood | Ocean County | New Jersey |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrian crashes | 183 | 374 | 8,521 |
| Bicycle crashes | 106 | 377 | 5,288 |
| Pedestrian share of accidents where someone was hurt or killed | 9.8% | 5.1% | 6.6% |
| Bicycle share of accidents where someone was hurt or killed | 5.3% | 4.9% | 3.8% |
Half of them, 90 of 183, were on local streets. Route 9 had 34, more than any numbered road, and Ocean Avenue 18. Four of the 13 people killed in 2023 and 2024 were on foot.
Does PIP cover a pedestrian? Yes, it can, even one with no car insurance of their own, as the rulings in our New Jersey appeals cases on pedestrians and cyclists show. Next steps are in our guide for pedestrians hit by a car in New Jersey.4
Which fatal car accidents happened in Lakewood, New Jersey?
Sixteen fatal accidents killed 19 people from 2023 to 2025, and Route 70 had 6 of them, though it carries under 7 percent of the town's injury accidents.
See the full table
| Road | Fatal accidents | People killed |
|---|---|---|
| Route 70 | 6 | 6 |
| Route 528 (Cedar Bridge Avenue) | 2 | 4 |
| New Hampshire Road (County Route 623) | 2 | 2 |
| Local streets (no route number) | 2 | 2 |
| County Route 626 (Cross Street) | 1 | 2 |
| County Route 639 | 1 | 1 |
| Route 526 (County Line Road) | 1 | 1 |
| Garden State Parkway | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 16 | 19 |
Three of the 4 deaths on Cedar Bridge Avenue came in a single 2023 crash. Eleven of the 16 fatal accidents happened in the dark, and 4 were pedestrian crashes.5
Why does Lakewood have so few Saturday car accidents?
6.6 percent of Lakewood's injury accidents fell on a Saturday, against 13.0 percent in the rest of Ocean County: 106 Saturday injury accidents against 279 on Thursdays, the busiest day.
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| Day | Lakewood | Rest of Ocean County |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 16.0% | 14.6% |
| Tuesday | 15.5% | 14.5% |
| Wednesday | 15.8% | 15.3% |
| Thursday | 17.3% | 14.6% |
| Friday | 15.7% | 16.0% |
| Saturday | 6.6% | 13.0% |
| Sunday | 13.1% | 12.0% |
Statewide the Saturday share is 13.4 percent, close to the rest of the county. The full statewide pattern is on our page on when car accidents happen in New Jersey.6
What kinds of crashes happen in Lakewood?
More turning and side-impact crashes than the state average: left turn and U-turn accidents were 10.5 percent of Lakewood's injury accidents, against 4.6 percent statewide.
Right-angle (T-bone) accidents were 27.8 percent, against 22.4 percent. Police also recorded 25.7 percent as happening in the dark with only a single spot of street light, against 5.1 percent statewide.7
Are car accidents in Lakewood going up?
2025's preliminary file already shows 853 injury accidents, up from 747 in 2024, and 4,367 accidents in all, against 4,138.
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| Year | All accidents | Hurt or killed | People hurt | People killed | Pedestrian crashes | Bicycle crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4,267 | 870 | 1,163 | 9 | 93 | 55 |
| 2024 | 4,138 | 747 | 973 | 4 | 90 | 51 |
| 2025 | 4,367 | 853 | 1,160 | 6 | 78 | 57 |
Pedestrian crashes fell, from 93 in 2023 to 78. Next door, see car accidents in Toms River, second in Ocean County, and the Ocean County car accident help page. Inland, see car accidents in Jackson Township, third in the county.
How do I look up a Lakewood accident report in NJ?
Ask Lakewood Police Central Records, which holds the report for most crashes in town: by email, by mail, in person, or online through CrashDocs or LexisNexis.
| Step | Lakewood Police Department |
|---|---|
| records@lakewoodpolicenj.com | |
| PO Box 540, Lakewood, NJ 08701, with a copy of picture ID and a phone number | |
| In person | 231 3rd Street; 8:15 am to 4:00 pm on the police page, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on the township FAQ |
| Online | crashdocs.org or lexisnexis.com |
| Phone first | 732-363-0200 ext 5712 |
| Error in the report | ext 5360, the Watch Commander |
Lakewood PD states no fee and no turnaround time, so call ext 5712 before you go. Requests need a copy of picture ID; who may get a New Jersey crash report is in our New Jersey accident report guide.
Crash on the Parkway? State Police handle it: in the 2025 file, 136 of the 140 Lakewood crash rows naming a State Police station were on the Parkway. Report questions go to the Turnpike Authority, 732-442-8600 ext. 2431.
No officer came? You can report it yourself on New Jersey's SR-1 form, explained in the same guide to New Jersey crash reports and the SR-1.
What happened in Lakewood, New Jersey today?
For a crash today, go to Lakewood Police Central Records, 732-363-0200 ext 5712, or the township police page. Our newest records are the preliminary 2025 file.
After a hit and run, who pays when the driver is never found is on our New Jersey hit and run claim guide.8
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 Lakewood. 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. 9
- 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. 10
- 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. 11
- 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. 12
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 Lakewood? Take the 30-second New Jersey quiz to see if a lawyer's office may review your claim for free.
Start the New Jersey accident quiz
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Sources
- our analysis of NJDOT crash records 2023 to 2025 as normalized by the open-source hudcostreets/nj-crashes project, fatal crashes checked against NJ State Police fatal crash statistics; municipality count from NJ.gov Fast Facts.
- our analysis of NJDOT crash records 2024 and 2025; statewide rank from our table of the 25 New Jersey corners with the most injury accidents.
- our analysis of NJDOT crash records 2023 and 2024, grouped by route number.
- our analysis of NJDOT crash records 2023 and 2024, police-coded crash type.
- our analysis of NJDOT crash records 2023 to 2025, fatal accidents supplemented from the NJ State Police fatal crash statistics.
- our analysis of NJDOT crash records 2023 and 2024.
- our analysis of NJDOT crash records 2023 and 2024, police-coded crash type and light condition.
- Lakewood Police Department, Central Records and Township of Lakewood, Police Department page; NJSP crash reports portal, as logged in our agency-by-agency report access table; State Police station field from our analysis of the NJDOT records.
- NJ DOBI Auto Insurance Buyer's Guide 2026, pp. 2, 6; 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
- Records: every NJDOT crash record for Lakewood Township, 2023 to 2025, via the nj-crashes project, deaths supplemented from the State Police feed. 2025 is preliminary.
- An injury accident lists at least one person hurt or killed. Totals, roads, crash types, lighting and days use 2023 and 2024; deaths use all three years.
- Corners use 2024 and 2025, with street spellings merged (such as "OCEAN COUNTY 623" into New Hampshire Road), so counts are minimums. The statewide corner rank counts spellings separately.
- These are counts, not risk rates, and they show nothing about fault.