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NJ car accident statistics: crashes per day, deaths, counties and towns

By Sandra H. Brown, Injuries Cases Autos research. Updated

New Jersey police reported 265,827 crashes in 2024, about 726 a day. Of those, 59,466 hurt or killed someone, about 162 a day, and the State Police counted 684 deaths. Preliminary 2025 records show 261,286 crashes; the State Police counted 584 deaths.

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How many car accidents happen per day in NJ?

About 726 a day in 2024, with 222 people injured and close to 2 killed each day. The 2025 pace was almost the same, though its records are still preliminary.

See the full table
New Jersey crashes per day, our count of NJDOT records
YearCrashes a dayCrashes with someone hurt or killed, a dayPeople injured a dayPeople killed a day
20236811471991.7
20247261622221.9
2025 (preliminary)7161602171.6

The busiest day of 2024 was 21 November, with 1,215 crashes and 289 that hurt someone. Christmas Day was the quietest, at 332.

The deadliest single day was 6 December 2024, with 9 people killed. On 75 days of that year, the records list no death at all.1

How many car accident deaths are there in NJ each year?

Between 542 and 697 a year since 2008, in the State Police count. The peak was 697 in 2021; 2024 had 684, and 2025 fell to 584.2

Pedestrians are the shift inside that total: 230 died in 2024, against 138 in 2008. Where and when they are hit is on pedestrian accidents in New Jersey, and how the November clock change moves pedestrian crashes to the evening has its own page.

The NJDOT crash records we count list 688 deaths for 2024, four more than the State Police feed.1

Deaths by year and road user, 2008 to 2026
People killed in New Jersey crashes, State Police fatal series as tracked by nj-crashes
YearAll deathsDriversPassengersPedestriansCyclists
200859032011213820
20095843159815714
20105563039914113
201162736210514317
201258930910316314
20135423049213214
20145562958017011
20155622769617317
20166023308916617
20176243398518317
20185632769517517
20195582898117612
20205873048617918
20216973688621726
202268937910319116
20236063198917127
20246843508623018
20255843009217517
2026 (part of the year only)1267011432

What is the car accident rate in New Jersey?

About 1 crash in 5 hurts someone: 112,966 of 514,320 crashes in 2023 and 2024, or 22 percent. Roughly 1 in 420 killed someone.1

Each injury crash hurt 1.4 people on average.

Which NJ counties have the most crashes?

Middlesex: 29,521 crashes in 2024 and 6,743 that hurt someone, 11 percent of the state's injury crashes. Bergen and Essex follow.1

See the full table
Top 8 counties by crashes with someone hurt or killed, 2024 (our NJDOT count)
CountyAll crashesCrashes with someone hurt or killedShare of crashes that hurt someonePeople killed
Middlesex29,5216,74322.8 percent61
Bergen28,5815,85620.5 percent42
Essex24,4305,76023.6 percent55
Union21,2394,70222.1 percent39
Passaic18,2204,20023.1 percent31
Camden15,5784,07526.2 percent37
Monmouth16,2273,50921.6 percent53
Hudson17,4813,40919.5 percent19
All 21 counties, 2024
Crashes by county, 2024 (our NJDOT count)
CountyAll crashesCrashes with someone hurt or killedShare of crashes that hurt someonePeople killed
Middlesex29,5216,74322.8 percent61
Bergen28,5815,85620.5 percent42
Essex24,4305,76023.6 percent55
Union21,2394,70222.1 percent39
Passaic18,2204,20023.1 percent31
Camden15,5784,07526.2 percent37
Monmouth16,2273,50921.6 percent53
Hudson17,4813,40919.5 percent19
Morris14,2182,81119.8 percent21
Ocean14,3852,76119.2 percent46
Burlington11,3362,65723.4 percent45
Mercer10,8132,39022.1 percent38
Atlantic8,0382,30928.7 percent56
Somerset10,2042,17821.3 percent18
Gloucester7,2731,83325.2 percent32
Cumberland4,2451,29230.4 percent30
Hunterdon3,78668618.1 percent9
Warren3,09366621.5 percent15
Sussex3,04762120.4 percent12
Cape May2,46053821.9 percent9
Salem1,63546528.4 percent16

South Jersey crashes are fewer but worse. In Cumberland, 30 percent of crashes hurt someone, against 20 percent in Bergen. Atlantic County had 56 deaths in 2024 from 8,038 crashes, more than Bergen's 42 from 28,581.

County hubs list every town and road in the county:

What city in NJ has the most car accidents?

Newark, by a wide margin: 5,305 crashes that hurt or killed someone in 2023 and 2024, with 63 people killed and 826 pedestrian crashes. Paterson is second with 2,785.1

See the full table
The 10 New Jersey towns with the most crashes that hurt or killed someone, 2023 and 2024 (our NJDOT count)
RankTownCountyCrashes with someone hurt or killedAll crashesPeople killedPedestrian crashes
1NewarkEssex5,30519,69663826
2PatersonPassaic2,78511,46618451
3Jersey CityHudson2,56112,42021438
4Woodbridge TownshipMiddlesex2,44810,14713101
5ElizabethUnion2,28710,15524351
6CliftonPassaic2,1958,8979148
7Edison TownshipMiddlesex1,9748,5521166
8Lakewood TownshipOcean1,6178,40513183
9CamdenCamden1,4654,6538154
10Union TownshipUnion1,4536,696275
Ranks 11 to 100
New Jersey towns ranked 11 to 100 by crashes that hurt or killed someone, 2023 and 2024 (our NJDOT count)
RankTownCountyCrashes with someone hurt or killedAll crashesPeople killedPedestrian crashes
11Toms River TownshipOcean1,3706,1071770
12Cherry Hill TownshipCamden1,3585,514939
13Hamilton TownshipMercer1,3445,6721850
14Egg Harbor TownshipAtlantic1,2753,8641739
15VinelandCumberland1,2273,6412532
16TrentonMercer1,1825,71220175
17New BrunswickMiddlesex1,1114,8775163
18LindenUnion1,0894,7891286
19Franklin TownshipSomerset9784,440834
20Atlantic CityAtlantic8803,36915143
21Paramus BoroughBergen8764,338819
22Piscataway TownshipMiddlesex8713,8231038
23Old Bridge TownshipMiddlesex8633,597920
24Wayne TownshipPassaic8483,8281021
25HackensackBergen8464,0863121
26East OrangeEssex8414,6488154
27PlainfieldUnion8393,6407110
28South Brunswick TownshipMiddlesex8303,5201311
29Fort Lee BoroughBergen8124,558658
30North Bergen TownshipHudson8024,5305108
31Kearny TownHudson7793,750594
32Perth AmboyMiddlesex7763,2973131
33Parsippany-Troy HillsMorris7714,0591125
34Sayreville BoroughMiddlesex7483,1321732
35East Brunswick TownshipMiddlesex7473,4801024
36Irvington TownshipEssex7453,2227130
37North Brunswick TownshipMiddlesex7412,808624
38PassaicPassaic7293,8527133
39Bridgewater TownshipSomerset7033,495511
40Washington TownshipGloucester6682,804717
41Mount Laurel TownshipBurlington6633,199615
42BayonneHudson6562,8823137
43Wall TownshipMonmouth6203,19349
44Teaneck TownshipBergen5702,885751
45Deptford TownshipGloucester5572,38688
46Middletown TownshipMonmouth5502,822417
47Hamilton TownshipAtlantic5441,8392310
48Gloucester TownshipCamden5332,318417
49Howell TownshipMonmouth5161,9621211
50Freehold TownshipMonmouth5101,991715
51Jackson TownshipOcean4991,944129
52Neptune TownshipMonmouth4972,381443
53Belleville TownshipEssex4801,972362
54Bloomfield TownshipEssex4752,593320
55West Orange TownshipEssex4702,532534
56West Windsor TownshipMercer4691,884610
57Monroe TownshipGloucester4621,764109
58RahwayUnion4562,005331
59Galloway TownshipAtlantic4501,599825
60EnglewoodBergen4472,231346
61MillvilleCumberland4401,451622
62Franklin TownshipGloucester4331,23074
63North Plainfield BoroughSomerset4321,796238
64Montclair TownshipEssex4282,495272
65Roselle BoroughUnion4231,605444
66Springfield TownshipUnion4221,969416
67Hillside TownshipUnion4142,120334
68Fair Lawn BoroughBergen4091,571342
69Winslow TownshipCamden4071,9131413
70Marlboro TownshipMonmouth4061,75047
71Ewing TownshipMercer3931,697223
72OrangeEssex3881,993270
73Pennsauken TownshipCamden3841,4841212
74Union CityHudson3832,594386
75Manchester TownshipOcean3781,4791210
76Ocean TownshipMonmouth3782,023726
77Roxbury TownshipMorris3771,65017
78Lawrence TownshipMercer3731,917414
79Ridgefield BoroughBergen3681,689416
80Bellmawr BoroughCamden3601,99022
81Burlington TownshipBurlington3541,286411
82Hillsborough TownshipSomerset3501,550211
83Secaucus TownHudson3452,099218
84Elmwood Park BoroughBergen3431,274211
85East Windsor TownshipMercer3351,26458
86Hanover TownshipMorris3201,773012
87Willingboro TownshipBurlington3191,145516
88Monroe TownshipMiddlesex3181,49158
89Cranford TownshipUnion3171,571014
90Berkeley TownshipOcean3161,379219
91Clark TownshipUnion3091,53534
92Brick TownshipOcean3052,8001016
93Livingston TownshipEssex3021,463110
94Evesham TownshipBurlington3011,38237
95Rutherford BoroughBergen3001,630117
96South Plainfield BoroughMiddlesex2931,667210
97Palisades Park BoroughBergen2921,359234
98Randolph TownshipMorris2881,28933
99Tinton Falls BoroughMonmouth2861,37866
100Manalapan TownshipMonmouth2831,27348

The 10 towns above hold 24,090 of the state's 112,966 injury crashes, about 21 percent. The top 100 hold 68 percent of them, out of 573 municipalities with records.

Deaths rank differently. Vineland had 25 people killed, second only to Newark, and Hamilton Township in Atlantic County had 23 from fewer than 2,000 crashes.

Is Camden the most dangerous city? For traffic, it ranks 9th by injury crashes, but 31 percent of its crashes hurt someone, against 27 percent in Newark.

What are 90% of car accidents caused by?

Rear-end crashes are the most common: 139,205 of 514,320 crashes in 2023 and 2024, or 27 percent.1 The records code the kind of collision, not its cause, so no single cause can be read from them.

The common crashes are rarely the deadly ones. Pedestrian crashes were 1.7 percent of the total but 30 percent of deaths, and fixed-object crashes killed 295 people.

See the full table
Crash types by deaths per 1,000 crashes, 2023 and 2024 (our NJDOT count)
Crash type (police code)CrashesCrashes with someone hurt or killedPeople killedKilled per 1,000 crashes
Pedestrian8,5217,43938845.5
Overturned2,4661,5754719.1
Head-on or angular, opposite direction7,8313,66711014.0
Bicyclist5,2884,3085410.2
Fixed object56,47813,1512955.2
Left turn or U-turn13,5955,241674.9
Right angle75,25825,3471472.0
Rear-end139,20534,717860.6
Sideswipe, same direction92,5069,644450.5
Struck parked vehicle58,4603,792250.4
Animal20,08291430.1

Wet roads were in 78,621 crashes and 198 deaths. Snow and ice, 6,572 crashes and 5 deaths. Alcohol counts are on drunk driving crashes in NJ, animal strikes on hitting a deer in NJ, and rear-end fault on rear-end crashes in New Jersey.

Which roads in NJ have the most crashes?

County roads, as a group: 32 percent of injury crashes in 2023 and 2024. Town streets had 28 percent and NJDOT state highways 27 percent.1

State highways carried the most deaths, 443 of 1,294, or 34 percent. Toll-road authorities had 7 percent of injury crashes and interstates 5 percent. Road pages break down I-295 crashes by county, I-287 accidents by milepost, Route 4 crash data and Atlantic City Expressway accidents.

Named roads are ranked on the most dangerous roads in NJ, corners on the most dangerous intersections in NJ, and hours on when most car accidents happen.

How do I obtain a list of motor vehicle crash incident reports in New Jersey?

For bulk records, NJDOT says data for 2001 to 2018 is in its crash tables and 2019 onward is in its Crash Data Portal.3

For one crash, you need the police report itself: see how to get your NJ accident report.

Questions people ask

Was there a fatal accident in New Jersey yesterday?

Our copy of the State Police fatal crash feed holds 126 deaths for the part of 2026 it covers. That is not a full-year figure to compare with 584 in 2025.2

What are the most recent car accidents in New Jersey?

For whole-state numbers, the newest records are 2025, still preliminary: 261,286 crashes and 58,475 with someone hurt or killed.1

Was there a deadly accident on the NJ Turnpike yesterday?

Single crashes are not in these records, but the pattern is: toll and other state-authority roads, the Turnpike among them, had 106 deaths in 2023 and 2024, about one a week. Turnpike crash counts are on NJ Turnpike accidents.1

Hurt in a New Jersey crash? Answer a few short questions, about 30 seconds, to see if a lawyer's office may review your claim for free.

Start the New Jersey accident quiz

Advertisement. Opens the New Jersey questionnaire. Review its policies and contact consent before submitting your details. No legal advice or guarantee of acceptance or compensation.

Sources

  1. NJDOT police crash records, via the NJDOT Crash Data Portal as normalized by the open-source nj-crashes project, fatal crashes supplemented from the State Police feed; our counts by year, day, county, town, crash type and road system. Retrieved 2026-11-06.
  2. NJ State Police fatal crash statistics, yearly totals as tracked by the nj-crashes project. Retrieved 2026-11-06.
  3. NJDOT Crash Records overview, Wayback snapshot of 27 September 2026.
How we counted
  • Our count of NJDOT police crash records as normalized by nj-crashes, fatal crashes supplemented from the State Police feed. 2023 and 2024 complete, 2025 preliminary. We used the open nj-crashes copy of the portal records.
  • "Hurt or killed" means at least one person injured or killed. Per-day figures divide by 365 or 366 days.
  • Deaths by year come from the State Police series; it differs slightly from the NJDOT records.
  • Counts, not risk rates: no traffic volumes. They say nothing about fault, claims or payouts. General information, not legal advice; Injuries Cases Autos is not a law firm.