Car accidents in Toms River, NJ: where people are hurt and killed
Police reported 6,107 car accidents in Toms River Township in 2023 and 2024, and someone was hurt or killed in 1,370 of them. From 2023 to 2025, 34 people died here, and 18 of them were pedestrians.
Hurt in a Toms River accident, or hit while walking on Route 37 or Route 166? 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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Why are so many people killed walking in Toms River?
Pedestrians are few among the injured but many among the dead. Pedestrian accidents were 4 percent of Toms River injury accidents in 2023 and 2024 (53 of 1,370), yet pedestrians were 8 of the 17 people killed.
That is 47 percent of deaths, against 32 percent statewide (409 of 1,294). Over 2023 to 2025, Toms River alone had 18 of Ocean County's 35 pedestrian deaths.
See the full table
| Year | People killed in Toms River | Of them, pedestrians | Pedestrians killed in all of Ocean County | Pedestrian accidents in Toms River |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 30 |
| 2024 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 40 |
| 2025 (preliminary) | 17 | 10 | 14 | 43 |
| Total | 34 | 18 | 35 | 113 |
Most of these deaths happened after dark
Of the 18 pedestrians killed, 12 died in accidents recorded as dark, and in 11 of those the street lights were on. Five died in daylight.
Route 37 had 6 of the 18 deaths and Route 166 had 3, all in 2024 and 2025. Hooper Avenue (Route 549) and Fischer Boulevard (the Route 549 Spur) had 2 each.
Does PIP cover you if a car hits you while walking?
Usually yes. PIP on your own or a household member's auto policy pays, even though no car of yours was involved. The exceptions are on pedestrian accidents in New Jersey, and court outcomes are in New Jersey appeals rulings on pedestrians hit by cars.
Are car accidents in Toms River going up?
Deaths are. Toms River went from 9 people killed in 2024 to 17 in 2025, while the preliminary statewide count fell from 688 to 589.
Pedestrian deaths doubled in the same year, from 5 to 10, and pedestrian accidents rose each year, from 30 to 40 to 43.
Is Route 37 or the Garden State Parkway worse in Toms River?
Route 37, by a wide margin: 237 injury accidents in 2023 and 2024, against 135 on the Parkway. The Parkway's deaths are steady instead, 2 a year from 2023 to 2025, none of them pedestrians.
See the full table
| Road | Someone hurt or killed (2023 + 2024) | All accidents (2023 + 2024) | People killed (2023 to 2025) | Of them, pedestrians |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route 37 | 237 | 1,051 | 7 | 6 |
| Garden State Parkway | 135 | 607 | 6 | 0 |
| Route 571 | 129 | 407 | 2 | 0 |
| Route 549 (Hooper Avenue) | 124 | 611 | 5 | 2 |
| Route 527 | 103 | 401 | 1 | 1 |
| Route 9 | 88 | 357 | 1 | 1 |
| Route 549 Spur (Fischer Boulevard) | 45 | 156 | 2 | 2 |
| Route 166 | 45 | 238 | 3 | 3 |
| Route 70 | 44 | 195 | 1 | 1 |
Route 37 also had 7 deaths, and 3 of its 4 deaths in 2025 were pedestrians. Its corners and bridges are in our guide to a Route 37 car accident in Toms River; the toll road is on Garden State Parkway accident data.
Are rear end accidents more common in Toms River?
Yes. Rear end collisions were 36 percent of Toms River injury accidents in 2023 and 2024 (492 of 1,370), against 30 percent in Ocean County and 31 percent statewide.
Right angle accidents came next at 22 percent, close to the county and state shares. The 5 pm hour had the most injury accidents, 134.
Fault is not automatic for the driver behind: each driver gets a percentage, as set out in who is at fault in a New Jersey rear end accident. The statewide clock is on when car accidents happen in New Jersey.
Is Hickory Street at Vermont Avenue the worst intersection in Toms River?
Yes, in our count. Hickory Street at Vermont Avenue had 11 injury accidents in 2024 and 2025, hurting 16 people. Only one Ocean County intersection had more, in neighbouring Lakewood, NJ.
See the full table
| Intersection | Hurt or killed, 2024 | Hurt or killed, 2025 (preliminary) | Total | People hurt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hickory Street at Vermont Avenue | 5 | 6 | 11 | 16 |
| Church Road at New Hampshire Road | 5 | 2 | 7 | 8 |
| Highland Parkway at Route 527 (Water Street) | 4 | 2 | 6 | 13 |
| Cox Cro Road at Route 9 (Lakewood Road) | 4 | 2 | 6 | 12 |
| Mapletree Road at Old Freehold Road | 1 | 5 | 6 | 9 |
| Route 527 (Whitesville Road) at Route 571 (Ridgeway Road) | 1 | 5 | 6 | 10 |
| Old Freehold Road at Silverton Road | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 |
One person died at Whitesville Road and Ridgeway Road. Three corners jumped from 1 accident in 2024 to 4 or 5 in 2025. The statewide ranking is on New Jersey intersections with the most injury accidents.
How do I get a Toms River police accident report?
Through the Toms River Police Department Records Division: online on CrashDocs, at 255 Oak Avenue, by email or by mail. Allow 3 business days.
- Online: CrashDocs.
- In person: 255 Oak Avenue, weekdays 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM, with ID. Call before you go.
- Email: PoliceRecords@trpolice.org, with a copy of your license.
- Mail: $5.00 payable to "Toms River Township", with a stamped return envelope, to PO Box 876, Toms River, NJ 08754.
- Phone: no report details are given by phone.3
A Parkway crash is usually handled by the State Police, whose reports and fees are in our guide to New Jersey accident reports, agency by agency. Getting a copy is not the same as filing one: if no officer came, the driver files the SR-1 self-report.
How does Toms River compare with the rest of Ocean County?
Toms River has 23 percent of Ocean County's injury accidents and half of its pedestrian deaths. The county picture is on Ocean County car accident help. In neighbouring Jackson, county roads carry most injury accidents; see Jackson Township crash data.
Next door, Lakewood car accident data has the county's busiest corner. The road to the shore is on Route 72 car accidents near Long Beach Island.
Toms River accident questions
Was there a car accident in Toms River today?
Our counts run through 2025, so for a crash today, check with the Toms River Police Department or local news.
Are accident reports public record in NJ?
The basic crash report is. Serious and fatal investigation reports are not public records, and need a subpoena or a judge's order. Details are in our New Jersey accident report guide.
What should I do first after a Toms River accident?
Get out of live lanes, switch on hazards and call 911 if anyone is hurt. The rest of the first day is in what to do in the first 24 hours after a New Jersey car accident.
What happens if I don't report an accident within 10 days?
The 10-day written report to the MVC is owed only if no officer wrote the crash up. The consequences are covered in how to report and get a New Jersey crash report.
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 Toms River. 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. 4
- 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. 5
- 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. 6
- 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. 7
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 Toms River? 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
- Our analysis of NJDOT crash records 2023 to 2025 via the open-source nj-crashes project, with NJ State Police fatal crash statistics; 2025 is preliminary.
- NJDOT crash records via nj-crashes, with the NJSP fatal supplement; our count by year and road.
- Toms River Police Department, Police Reports / Investigation and Accident Reports, and our crash report access table by agency.
- 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: NJDOT crash records for Toms River Township, 2023 to 2025, via nj-crashes, deaths supplemented from the State Police feed. 2025 is preliminary, though its file is already 98 percent as large as 2024's.
- Totals, roads and crash types use 2023 and 2024; deaths use all three years.
- Roads are grouped by route number, since Route 37 is filed under several names. The Route 549 Spur is kept separate.
- Intersections use 2024 and 2025. Spelling variants are not merged, so counts are a floor; ties at 4 end the table at 5.