Route 21 (McCarter Highway) accidents in NJ: what the records show from Newark to Clifton
Police wrote up 615 accidents on Route 21, the McCarter Highway, in 2023 and 2024 in which someone was hurt or killed, from Newark to Route 46 in Clifton. They hurt 874 people and killed 7. Newark had 320 of them.
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Why do so many Route 21 crashes involve a barrier or guide rail?
Route 21 injury crashes start with a concrete barrier hit more than six times as often as the statewide mix: 8.1 percent against 1.3 percent. Guide rail hits run about three times the state share.
The rest of the mix points the same way. Same-direction sideswipes are more than double the state share, while right-angle crashes are far rarer. Four in ten injury crashes happened after dark on lit stretches.
See the full table
| What the police record shows | Route 21 | All New Jersey |
|---|---|---|
| First thing hit was a concrete traffic barrier | 8.1% (50) | 1.3% |
| First thing hit was the face of a guide rail | 4.7% (29) | 1.5% |
| Sideswipe, same direction | 18.4% (113) | 8.5% |
| Rear end | 38.7% (238) | 30.7% |
| Right angle | 8.5% (52) | 22.4% |
| Dark, with continuous street lights | 39.7% (244) | 18.3% |
| Saturday or Sunday | 31.4% (193) | 25.3% |
The busiest hour was 3 pm to 4 pm, with 45 injury crashes in the two years. Statewide, it was 5 pm to 6 pm. Rear-end crashes lead here too, and our page on rear-end car accidents in New Jersey covers what follows one.
Where are most accidents on Route 21?
Mile 3 in Newark, around East 3rd Avenue, had the most injury crashes in 2024 and 2025: 61. Miles 1, 8 and 9 follow, in Newark, Nutley and at Route 3 in Clifton.
See the full table
| Mile band | Town with most records | Most common cross street | Hurt or killed, 2024 + 2025 | Hurt or killed, 2024 only |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Newark | East 3rd Avenue | 61 | 35 |
| 1 | Newark | Chestnut Street | 50 | 33 |
| 8 | Nutley | Park Avenue | 41 | 19 |
| 9 | Clifton | Route 3 | 39 | 20 |
| 2 | Newark | Bridge Street | 38 | 29 |
All 15 Route 21 mile bands, south to north
| Mile band | Town with most records | Most common cross street | Hurt or killed, 2024 + 2025 | Hurt or killed, 2024 only | All accidents, 2024 + 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Newark | Route 27 (Poinier Street) | 16 | 11 | 45 |
| 1 | Newark | Chestnut Street | 50 | 33 | 150 |
| 2 | Newark | Bridge Street | 38 | 29 | 143 |
| 3 | Newark | East 3rd Avenue | 61 | 35 | 165 |
| 4 | Newark | Chester Avenue | 22 | 17 | 68 |
| 5 | Newark | Chester Avenue | 30 | 20 | 72 |
| 6 | Belleville | Rutgers Street | 24 | 15 | 72 |
| 7 | Belleville | Park Avenue | 15 | 7 | 70 |
| 8 | Nutley | Park Avenue | 41 | 19 | 136 |
| 9 | Clifton | Route 3 | 39 | 20 | 118 |
| 10 | Passaic | River Drive | 12 | 9 | 58 |
| 11 | Passaic | River Drive | 31 | 14 | 128 |
| 12 | Passaic | Passaic Avenue | 25 | 10 | 83 |
| 13 | Clifton | Ackerman Avenue | 34 | 22 | 134 |
| 14 | Clifton | Route 46 | 27 | 14 | 96 |
By cross street, Route 46 in Clifton leads with 25 injury crashes. Ackerman Avenue in Clifton and Chester Avenue in Newark tie next at 20 each.
Top 10 Route 21 cross streets
| Cross street | Town, county | Hurt or killed | All accidents | People hurt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route 46 | Clifton, Passaic | 25 | 82 | 34 |
| Ackerman Avenue | Clifton, Passaic | 20 | 75 | 24 |
| Chester Avenue | Newark, Essex | 20 | 47 | 25 |
| River Drive | Passaic, Passaic | 17 | 63 | 23 |
| Park Avenue | Nutley, Essex | 13 | 37 | 15 |
| Route 3 | Clifton, Passaic | 11 | 49 | 14 |
| East 3rd Avenue | Newark, Essex | 11 | 23 | 19 |
| River Drive | Clifton, Passaic | 10 | 36 | 20 |
| Clark Street | Newark, Essex | 10 | 17 | 15 |
| East 4th Avenue | Newark, Essex | 10 | 17 | 10 |
How many people have died in Route 21 crashes?
Nine people died in Route 21 crashes from 2023 to 2025 (2025 preliminary), and five of them were pedestrians, three in Newark.
In 2023 and 2024, pedestrians were 4 of the 7 Route 21 deaths. Statewide they were 409 of 1,294, close to a third. Pedestrian crashes of any severity are a Newark pattern here: 30 of the road's 32.
| Month | Town, county | Cross street recorded | Accident type | Light |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2023 | Newark, Essex | Not recorded | Other | Daylight |
| August 2023 | Passaic, Passaic | Not recorded | Fixed object (concrete barrier) | Dark, lit |
| September 2023 | Newark, Essex | East 3rd Avenue | Pedestrian | Dusk |
| April 2024 | Nutley, Essex | Not recorded | Fixed object (curb) | Dark, lit |
| May 2024 | Newark, Essex | Tichenor Street | Pedestrian | Daylight |
| October 2024 | Passaic, Passaic | Passaic Avenue | Pedestrian | Dark, lit |
| October 2024 | Newark, Essex | South Street | Pedestrian | Dawn |
| July 2025 | Newark, Essex | Not recorded | Rear end | Daylight |
| October 2025 | Clifton, Passaic | Route 3 | Pedestrian | Unknown |
If you were hit on foot, our guide on what to do after a pedestrian is hit by a car in New Jersey sets out the next steps. To compare roads and corners statewide, see the 25 New Jersey intersections with the most injury crashes and our Garden State Parkway accident data.
Did Route 21 crashes drop in 2025?
The counts cannot say yet. Route 21's preliminary 2025 file holds 677 records, 79 percent of 2024, and most of the gap is in Newark, at 58 percent.
Nutley went the other way, up to 94 records from 60. Until the 2025 file is final, missing records and a real change look the same.
Route 21 accidents by town and year
| Town, county | All accidents 2023 | All accidents 2024 | All accidents 2025 (preliminary) | 2025 as share of 2024 | Hurt or killed, 2023 + 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newark, Essex | 573 | 400 | 233 | 58% | 320 |
| Belleville, Essex | 107 | 68 | 59 | 87% | 61 |
| Nutley, Essex | 63 | 60 | 94 | 157% | 43 |
| Clifton, Passaic | 193 | 200 | 159 | 80% | 117 |
| Passaic, Passaic | 151 | 129 | 124 | 96% | 72 |
| Wallington, Bergen | 0 | 4 | 8 | Too few to compare | 2 |
Which police department has my Route 21 crash report?
Usually the town police where it happened. Only 16 of 2,625 Route 21 records from 2023 to 2025 name a State Police station, and 9 of those are Totowa.
| Town | What to know | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Newark | The police online report form excludes state highways, and Route 21 is one | Newark accident data and report route |
| Belleville | Its police page does not describe crash report copies | Belleville Police Department |
| Nutley | Reports released 5 business days after the incident | Nutley Police Records Bureau |
| Clifton | Reports available after 3 business days | Clifton accident data and report route |
| Passaic | Records Bureau takes crash report requests online | Passaic accident data and report route |
If a trooper took your report, fees and the request portal are in our NJ accident report guide for State Police crashes. Once it arrives, how to read a New Jersey crash report explains the codes.
Which towns does Route 21 pass through?
Newark, Belleville and Nutley in Essex County, then Passaic and Clifton in Passaic County, about 14 miles by NJDOT milepost. A few records fall in Wallington, Bergen County.
Town detail sits on our Newark car accident data, Clifton car accident data and Passaic car accident data pages. The crossing roads have their own counts: Route 3 accident data at mile 9 in Clifton and Route 46 accident data at the north end.
Neither Essex nor Passaic County has its own car accident hub on our site yet, so the first-days checklist for both is on our New Jersey car accident help hub.
Route 21 questions people also ask
Was there an accident on Route 21 today?
We have no live traffic or news feed. This page is the 2023 to 2025 police record, so a crash from today appears only after its report reaches NJDOT. For the report itself, use the town table above, and Route 21 also appears in our guide to truck crashes on Essex County roads.
Does PIP cover you as a pedestrian?
It can, and it matters here: 5 of Route 21's 9 deaths were pedestrians. In Boone, a New Jersey appeals court read the PIP statute to require pedestrian PIP even on a Lyft policy. Our pedestrian and cyclist appeals review covers who pays.
How long does it take to get an accident report in NJ?
On Route 21 it depends on the town: Clifton releases reports after 3 business days and Nutley after 5. Newark's general records (OPRA) route gives custodians 7 business days to respond; Belleville posts no wait.
Can I file an accident report online in NJ?
Not through Newark's police online form for a Route 21 crash, because it excludes state highways. If police did not investigate and someone was hurt, or damage to any one person was over $500, the driver sends New Jersey's SR-1 form to the MVC within 10 days.
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 on Route 21. 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 on Route 21? 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 via the open-source nj-crashes project, fatal crashes supplemented from NJ State Police, our analysis; Clifton Police Department FAQ.
- Our count from NJDOT crash records, 2023 and 2024; shares of all 615 Route 21 and 112,966 statewide injury accidents.
- Our count from NJDOT crash records, 2024 and 2025, by whole milepost.
- Our analysis of NJDOT crash records and the NJ State Police fatal crash supplement.
- Our count from NJDOT crash records, 2023 to 2025.
- Newark Police Division, File a Police Report; Nutley Police Records Bureau; Clifton Police Department FAQ; City of Passaic, Motor Vehicle Crash Report; station counts from our analysis of NJDOT crash 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
We kept NJDOT records whose route reads 21 and whose road name begins with "NJ 21"; 1,466 of the 2,625 carry a McCarter Highway label, and county road 21 is excluded. An injury accident lists at least one person hurt or killed.
Totals and statewide shares use 2023 and 2024. Mile and cross-street tables use 2024 and 2025, since 2023 spells cross streets differently.
Counts are a floor: 2025 is preliminary, spelling variants are not merged, and the State Police station field is undocumented. 17 of the 615 have no first harmful event and count as neither barrier nor guide rail.