NJ Turnpike accidents: where crashes happen and how to get the report
State crash records1 list 14,261 accidents on the New Jersey Turnpike in 2023 and 2024. In 2,840 of them someone was injured or killed, and 43 people died. These are police records, not live traffic, and the report for a Turnpike crash costs $5.3
Injured on the Turnpike, from Salem County up to Fort Lee? 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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Where do most accidents happen on the NJ Turnpike?
In Elizabeth and on the I-95 lanes in Fort Lee. Eleven miles in Bergen, Union, Essex and Hudson held 891 of the 3,189 injury crashes with a milepost in 2024 and 2025 (2025 preliminary).1 How the Turnpike compares with other highways is on the most dangerous roads in NJ.
See the full table
| Milepost | Town (county) | Cross road named most often | Injured or killed 2024 | Injured or killed 2025 | All crashes, both years | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77 | Fort Lee (Bergen), bridge approach | Palisades Interstate Parkway | 77 | 68 | 743 | 0 |
| 76 | Fort Lee (Bergen) | Route 1 | 75 | 52 | 774 | 3 |
| 54 | Elizabeth (Union) | Third Avenue | 64 | 62 | 546 | 0 |
| 55 | Elizabeth (Union) | Trumbull Street | 45 | 27 | 237 | 0 |
| 75 | Leonia (Bergen) | Broad Avenue | 45 | 21 | 298 | 0 |
| 73 | Teaneck (Bergen) | I-80 | 31 | 34 | 279 | 0 |
| 72 | Ridgefield Park (Bergen) | Bergen Turnpike | 29 | 31 | 246 | 0 |
| 52 | Elizabeth (Union) | Roosevelt Avenue | 31 | 27 | 308 | 1 |
| 61 | Newark (Essex) | Foundry Street | 30 | 28 | 248 | 0 |
| 2, western alignment | Kearny (Hudson) | Newark Turnpike (Route 508) | 29 | 28 | 268 | 0 |
| 56 | Elizabeth (Union) | I-278 | 26 | 31 | 260 | 0 |
Milepost 77 may not be Turnpike-run: only 2 of its 743 records name a State Police station. At 76 the figure is 501 of 774, and at Elizabeth's milepost 54 it is 533 of 546, so 54 is the busiest mile State Police clearly cover.1
These are the state's route mileposts, not exit numbers or the green mile markers. Town detail: Elizabeth crash data, Newark crash data, Fort Lee in the Bergen County guide and Kearny in the Hudson County guide.
Which State Police station handles a Turnpike crash?
One of three in 2024 and 2025 (2025 preliminary): Newark in the north, Cranbury in the middle and Moorestown in the south. The station is printed in the police agency box of your report.1
See the full table
| Station on the record | Towns with the most records | All crashes | Injured or killed | People killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newark | Elizabeth, Newark, Secaucus, Kearny, Ridgefield | 7,463 | 1,611 | 8 |
| Cranbury | Woodbridge, Edison, East Brunswick, Robbinsville, South Brunswick | 3,760 | 819 | 20 |
| Moorestown | Mount Laurel, Mansfield, Bordentown, Carneys Point, Westampton | 1,964 | 487 | 18 |
| No station recorded | Fort Lee (1,159 of 1,374) | 1,374 | 283 | 1 |
The Newark area has the most crashes, but the Cranbury and Moorestown areas had 38 of the 47 deaths. Station coding is nearly complete only from 2024: in Elizabeth, 683 of 696 Turnpike records carry a station in 2024, but 145 of 649 in 2023.1
That is why our Elizabeth page, counting 2023 and 2024, shows a lower State Police share. Fort Lee crashes on the bridge lanes may be Port Authority cases; compare the Bergen County report table, Port Authority $17 against Turnpike $5.
Turnpike towns with their own pages: Woodbridge crash data, Edison crash data and Mount Laurel crash data.
How do I get my NJ Turnpike accident report?
Through the State Police and Turnpike Authority portal, using the toll road option, for $5. A fatal crash takes a different route.3
- For an injury or damage crash, use the toll road option on the NJSP and NJTA crash report portal.3
- For a fatal crash, request the basic report with the Turnpike Authority OPRA form.4
- For the fatal investigation file, the Turnpike Authority points you to the State Police4; those records are not public and need a subpoena or court order.3
Every other agency is in our New Jersey accident report guide.
Are Turnpike crashes deadlier in the southern counties?
In these two years, yes, though the counts are small. Mercer had 4.8 deaths per 100 injury crashes and Gloucester 6.2 in 2023 and 2024, against 0.3 in Union and 0.7 in Bergen. With 4 to 8 deaths a county, these rates can swing a lot from year to year.1
See the full table
| County | All crashes | Injured or killed | People killed | Deaths per 100 injury crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bergen | 4,181 | 808 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Hudson | 1,596 | 280 | 1 | 0.4 |
| Essex | 1,321 | 234 | 4 | 1.7 |
| Union | 1,759 | 349 | 1 | 0.3 |
| Middlesex | 2,907 | 642 | 10 | 1.6 |
| Mercer | 606 | 146 | 7 | 4.8 |
| Burlington | 1,118 | 233 | 8 | 3.4 |
| Camden | 198 | 40 | 1 | 2.5 |
| Gloucester | 333 | 65 | 4 | 6.2 |
| Salem | 240 | 42 | 1 | 2.4 |
County detail: the Middlesex County accident hub and the Union County accident hub.
How many people are killed in Turnpike crashes?
Between 17 and 30 a year: 26 in 2023, 17 in 2024 and 30 in preliminary 2025. Nine of the 73 were on foot.1
See the full table
| Year | All crashes | Injured or killed | People injured | People killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 6,827 | 1,208 | 1,655 | 26 |
| 2024 | 7,434 | 1,632 | 2,517 | 17 |
| 2025 (preliminary) | 7,203 | 1,584 | 2,347 | 30 |
Of the 73 deaths from 2023 to 2025, 27 came on stretches with no street lights. Fixed objects killed 19, rear ends 18, and hitting a parked vehicle 10, in 7 crashes.1
Police flagged alcohol in 11 of the 63 fatal crashes. East Windsor had the most deaths (6), then Edison and Carneys Point (5 each), then Cranbury, East Brunswick, Robbinsville, Newark and Woolwich (4 each).1
Related guides: drunk driving crash claims in New Jersey and pedestrian crash steps in New Jersey.
What kinds of collisions injure people on the Turnpike?
Rear ends and sideswipes, together 72 percent1 of Turnpike injury crashes in 2023 and 2024. Sideswipes run at more than two and a half times their statewide share.2
See the full table
| Collision type (police coding) | Turnpike count | Turnpike share | Statewide share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Same direction, rear end | 1,407 | 49.5% | 30.7% |
| Same direction, sideswipe | 649 | 22.9% | 8.5% |
| Fixed object | 507 | 17.9% | 11.6% |
| Overturned | 98 | 3.5% | not in statewide top 8 |
| Right angle | 13 | 0.5% | 22.4% |
Pileups are more common too. Three or more vehicles were involved in 465 Turnpike injury crashes1, 16.4 percent, against 11.3 percent statewide.2
Our guides cover describing a multiple-vehicle crash and who is at fault in a New Jersey rear-end crash.
NJ Turnpike accident questions
What happened on the New Jersey Turnpike today?
For live Turnpike closures and incidents, check 511NJ, the traffic service NJDOT points drivers to; this page holds 2023 to 2025 police records, not news. Recent deaths are on the NJ State Police fatal crash statistics list. If you were in it, the station on your report handles it: Newark, Cranbury or Moorestown, as in the station table above.
Was there a deadly accident on the NJ Turnpike yesterday?
Check that State Police list first. If someone died, the basic report comes only through the Turnpike Authority OPRA form, as set out in the report steps above.3
What time of day do most Turnpike crashes happen?
4 pm is the worst hour (192 injury crashes in 2023 and 2024), and 3 pm to 6 pm holds 19 percent. Sunday had the most (444). Compare when crashes happen across New Jersey.1
Is the Turnpike more dangerous than the Parkway?
It had more deaths in 2023 and 2024, 43 against 401, on fewer injury crashes, 2,840 against 3,461. Route 1 had 50. See Garden State Parkway crash data and Route 1 crash data.2
Can I bring a claim against the Turnpike Authority?
A claim against the Authority itself, not the other driver, needs a written notice within 90 days, a rule the state Supreme Court quoted in a 2019 Turnpike Authority case. The steps are in notice of claim against a public body.5
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.6
- 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.7
- 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.8
More in how New Jersey no-fault (PIP) insurance works. This is general information, not legal advice.
Hurt in a car accident on the NJ Turnpike? 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 to 2025 as normalized by the open-source hudcostreets/nj-crashes project, with fatal crashes added from NJ State Police fatal crash statistics; our count, including the station field and route mileposts, and our Garden State Parkway and Route 1 crash profiles built from the same records.
- Our statewide counts from the same NJDOT records, 2023 and 2024: collision type shares, hour of day and vehicles per injury crash.
- NJSP and NJTA Crash Reports Request, njportal.com: toll road crash reports $5.00; fatal Turnpike and Parkway NJTR-1 reports through the NJTA OPRA form; serious and fatal investigation records not public without a subpoena or court order.
- NJ Turnpike Authority OPRA form, as recorded in our agency report-access table: the Authority does not keep fatal crash investigation reports and directs those requests to the State Police.
- O'Donnell v. N.J. Turnpike Authority, 236 N.J. 335 (2019), quoting N.J.S.A. 59:8-8.
- 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.
How we counted
- Records: NJDOT crash records 2023 to 2025 with route number 95 or 700 and a state road name, normalized by nj-crashes, deaths added from State Police fatal statistics. Route 700 is the Turnpike south of its I-95 section; the I-95 stretch in Fort Lee is included.
- 2023 and 2024 are complete; 2025 is preliminary. Headline counts use 2023 and 2024.
- Mileposts and stations use 2024 and 2025. Milepost 77 means 77.0 to just under 78, on mainline records only.
- A filled station is read as a State Police report. These are counts, not risk rates or fault findings.