Route 55 NJ accidents: who has the report, worst mileposts, why crashes turn deadly
Police recorded 260 accidents on Route 55 in 2023 and 2024 where someone was hurt or killed, and 10 people died. That is 9.6 deaths per 1,000 crashes, almost 4 times the New Jersey average of 2.5. The State Police, not town police, write nearly every report.
Hurt in a Route 55 crash, anywhere from Millville to Deptford? 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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Who writes the police report after a Route 55 accident?
The New Jersey State Police, from one of two stations. In 2024 and 2025, 1,021 of 1,052 Route 55 records name a State Police station, and the county line decides which one.
See the full table
| Station on the record | Towns on its stretch | Median milepost | All accidents | Someone hurt or killed | People killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellmawr | Deptford, Mantua, Elk, Franklin, Glassboro, Harrison, Washington Township (Gloucester County) | 53.6 | 743 | 184 | 11 |
| Port Norris | Vineland, Millville, Maurice River (Cumberland County) | 30.5 | 276 | 84 | 1 |
| Bridgeton | Vineland | 31.8 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| No station recorded | Spread along the road | 49.0 | 31 | 8 | 0 |
This matters most in Vineland. 184 of the 194 Route 55 records inside the city name the Port Norris station, so a Route 55 report from Vineland is usually a State Police report, as our Vineland police report section explains.
State Police reports come from the NJSP and Turnpike Authority crash report portal. Route 55 is a non-toll road, so the fee is $13, and a report appears only once it is "ready and approved". The steps are in the State Police section of our New Jersey accident report guide.1
Where on Route 55 do the most injury accidents happen?
At the north end, in Deptford. In 2024 and 2025, milepost 57 had the most injury accidents (23), with no single cross road dominating its records, and milepost 59 at Almonesson Road came next (21).
See the full table
| Milepost | Town (county) | Cross road most often named (records) | Someone hurt or killed | All accidents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57 | Deptford (Gloucester) | Route 534, Good Intent Road (4 of 46) | 23 | 46 |
| 59 | Deptford (Gloucester) | Almonesson Road, County Route 621 (35 of 92) | 21 | 92 |
| 39 | Franklin Township (Gloucester) | US 40, Harding Highway (9) | 17 | 37 |
| 53 | Mantua (Gloucester) | Tylers Mill Road (15) | 15 | 57 |
| 32 | Vineland (Cumberland) | Route 56, Landis Avenue (4) | 13 | 33 |
| 55 | Deptford (Gloucester) | Blackwood-Barnsboro Road, County Route 603 (17) | 13 | 42 |
| 30 | Vineland (Cumberland) | Ramp from Sherman Avenue to Route 55 north (5) | 11 | 30 |
| 49 | Glassboro (Gloucester) | Ramp from Ellis Mill Road to Route 55 (4) | 11 | 50 |
| 58 | Deptford (Gloucester) | Cooper Street, County Route 706 (25) | 11 | 55 |
Three more miles tie at 9: milepost 31 in Vineland, 54 in Mantua at Salina Road, and 60 in Deptford, where Route 55 meets the Route 42 freeway. Glassboro's milepost 49 is a ramp problem, with 15 of its 50 records flagged as ramp accidents.
The records number the road from milepost 20, at Route 47 in Maurice River Township, to 60.5 in Deptford. The freeway beyond is in our Route 42 freeway and I-295 crashes in Bellmawr guide; the Pike stretch of Route 42 is in our Black Horse Pike accident data.2
Why are Route 55 accidents so deadly?
Because so many crashes end against a tree or guide rail. Hits on trees, guide rails and other fixed objects were 35 percent of Route 55 injury accidents, against 12 percent statewide. Crashes where a tree was the first thing hit killed 5 of the 10 people who died in 2023 and 2024.
Other high-death highways are ranked on the most dangerous roads in NJ.
See the full table
| Road | All accidents | People killed | Killed per 1,000 accidents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic City Expressway | 780 | 13 | 16.7 |
| Route 55 | 1,039 | 10 | 9.6 |
| Route 47 (Delsea Drive) | 2,417 | 15 | 6.2 |
| I-295 | 5,361 | 18 | 3.4 |
| Garden State Parkway | 16,688 | 40 | 2.4 |
| Route 42 | 2,453 | 3 | 1.2 |
| All New Jersey roads | 514,320 | 1,294 | 2.5 |
Of these roads, only the Atlantic City Expressway kills more people per crash. On Route 55, rollovers were 9 percent of injury accidents, against 1.4 percent statewide, and unlit stretches carried 21 percent, against under 4 percent on New Jersey roads overall.
Two of the 4 fatal tree crashes in 2023 and 2024 happened in the dark. Lists that count every road numbered 55 show 1,697 crashes and 12 deaths, because they also take in Polifly Road and other county roads numbered 55 in Bergen and Monmouth.3
Where did the fatal Route 55 crashes happen?
Mostly in two short Gloucester County stretches. From 2023 to 2025, 12 fatal crashes killed 16 people, and 5 of the 16 died between mileposts 51 and 53 in Mantua Township.
| Town | Mileposts | Fatal accidents | People killed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mantua Township | 51.6 to 52.9 | 3 | 5 |
| Elk Township | 47.6 to 47.7 | 2 | 4 |
| Deptford Township | 58.4 to 59.3 | 2 | 2 |
| Vineland | 36.1 to 37.8 | 2 | 2 |
| Franklin, Millville, Maurice River | 39.2, 25.7, 21.4 | 1 each | 1 each |
Elk Township's two fatal crashes both came in 2025, one of them killing 3 people. Half of the 12 fatal crashes were fixed-object hits, mostly trees.
Head-on or angled opposite-direction crashes, the police category, are rare on the divided highway but lethal. Only 3 were recorded in 2023 and 2024, and 2 of them killed someone. Our head-on collision guide covers those claims.
Alcohol was flagged in 3 of the 12 fatal crashes. If a drunk driver hit you, see our drunk driving accident page.4
Which towns does Route 55 matter to most?
Elk Township, where the highway holds 22 percent of all injury accidents. Gloucester County towns hold 185 of the road's 260, and Route 55 is a small part of Vineland's crash picture.
See the full table
| Town (county) | On Route 55 | Share of all the town's such accidents | People killed on Route 55 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deptford (Gloucester) | 74 | 13% | 1 |
| Vineland (Cumberland) | 55 | 4% | 2 |
| Franklin Township (Gloucester) | 37 | 9% | 1 |
| Mantua (Gloucester) | 30 | 17% | 5 |
| Elk Township (Gloucester) | 25 | 22% | 0 |
| Millville (Cumberland) | 11 | 3% | 0 |
| Maurice River (Cumberland) | 9 | 11% | 1 |
| Glassboro (Gloucester) | 8 | 3% | 0 |
| Harrison Township (Gloucester) | 7 | 4% | 0 |
| Washington Township (Gloucester) | 4 | 1% | 0 |
Deptford, the town with the most, also has the top mileposts: 74 of the road's 260 injury accidents in 2023 and 2024. Route 55 carried 55 of Vineland's 1,227, and the rest were on other roads, with Delsea Drive in our Route 47 in Cumberland County section.
That county page shows Route 55 in Cumberland with 76 injury accidents and 301 in all, not 75 and 296, because it matches the route number alone. Route 55 crosses only a corner of Washington Township car accident data; the rest of the south is in our Cumberland County car accident guide.5
When do Route 55 accidents happen?
In the late afternoon. 4 pm to 7 pm holds 65 of the 260 injury accidents, a quarter, and Saturday and Wednesday tie as the worst days with 46 each.
See the full table
| Year | All accidents | Someone hurt or killed | People hurt | People killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 517 | 113 | 151 | 4 |
| 2024 | 522 | 147 | 189 | 6 |
| 2025 (preliminary) | 530 | 131 | 174 | 6 |
May was the worst month (36) and June the quietest (14). Deer were the first thing hit in 117 accidents in 2023 and 2024, but only 8 hurt anyone; see what to do after hitting a deer in New Jersey.6
Route 55 accident questions
Was there an accident on Route 55 in New Jersey today?
This page cannot say: it is built from police records for 2023 to 2025, not live traffic. For a crash you were in, the State Police record is the place to start.
How do I read the codes on an NJ police report?
On a Route 55 report, three fields matter most: the station (Bellmawr in Gloucester County, Port Norris in Cumberland), the milepost, from 20 to 60.5, and the first harmful event, such as Tree or Deer. The rest are in how to read a New Jersey crash report.
Are accident reports public record in NJ?
The basic crash report is a public record, and the State Police portal keeps it for six years from the year of the crash. Investigation files for serious or fatal crashes are not public and need a subpoena or court order.7
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 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
- Medical bills: how New Jersey no-fault (PIP) insurance pays, whoever caused the crash.
- Shared blame: how partial fault works in New Jersey.
- Reporting and deadlines: every New Jersey filing and notice clock after a crash.
Hurt in a car accident on Route 55? 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 nj-crashes, station field, 2024 and 2025, our count; NJSP and NJTA Crash Report Requests, njportal.com.
- NJDOT crash records via the open-source hudcostreets/nj-crashes project, milepost, cross road and ramp fields, 2024 and 2025; our count.
- NJDOT crash records via nj-crashes, crash type, light and first harmful event fields, 2023 and 2024, same road rule for every row; our count.
- NJDOT crash records via the open-source hudcostreets/nj-crashes project, with the NJ State Police fatal crash statistics added; our count.
- NJDOT crash records via nj-crashes, municipality and county fields, 2023 and 2024, compared under both road rules; our count.
- NJDOT crash records via nj-crashes, crash time and first harmful event fields; our count.
- NJSP and NJTA Crash Report Requests, njportal.com.
How we counted
We counted NJDOT crash records for 2023 to 2025, as normalized by hudcostreets/nj-crashes, with fatal accidents added from the State Police feed (downloaded 6 November 2026). A Route 55 record has route number 55 and a road name starting "NJ 55", which drops the county roads that share the number.
Headline counts use 2023 and 2024; mileposts and stations use 2024 and 2025, and 2025 is preliminary. A filled station means a State Police report. The Turnpike is left out: this rule counts it differently from our Turnpike page.
Cross road counts are a floor, and we have no traffic volumes.