Union County, NJ car accidents: roads, towns, corners and police reports
Union County police reported 9,235 car accidents in 2023 and 2024 where someone was hurt or killed: 12,444 people hurt and 76 killed. The Garden State Parkway led the roads, and Elizabeth and Union Township led the towns.
Hurt on the Parkway or Route 22 in Union County? 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 car accidents happen in Union County?
On the Garden State Parkway, with 719 injury accidents in 2023 and 2024, then Route 22 (597) and Route 1 (519). Route 1 had the most deaths, 13.
Almost a third of injury accidents, 2,861, were on streets with no route number. Route 27, through Roselle, Elizabeth and Rahway, had the most pedestrian accidents of any numbered road: 79.
See the full table
| Road | Someone hurt or killed | All accidents | People hurt | People killed | Pedestrian accidents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garden State Parkway | 719 | 3,551 | 1,028 | 1 | 1 |
| Route 22 | 597 | 2,589 | 780 | 4 | 2 |
| Route 1 | 519 | 1,950 | 740 | 13 | 39 |
| Route 27 (St. Georges Avenue, Newark Avenue) | 467 | 1,641 | 649 | 6 | 79 |
| I-95 (New Jersey Turnpike) | 350 | 1,767 | 501 | 1 | 2 |
| I-78 | 300 | 1,327 | 411 | 5 | 0 |
| Route 82 | 203 | 799 | 279 | 0 | 16 |
| Route 439 | 193 | 703 | 261 | 0 | 40 |
| Route 28 | 169 | 766 | 226 | 2 | 16 |
| Route 124 | 116 | 530 | 158 | 0 | 5 |
| Route 24 | 111 | 492 | 137 | 0 | 0 |
The full corridors are on our pages for Route 22 accidents by town and cross street and Parkway accidents by milepost and county.2
How do I look up an accident report in NJ for a Union County crash?
A Parkway crash in Union Township is a State Police report, not a township one. That covers 211 of the township's injury accidents in 2023 and 2024.
| Where it happened | Agency | How to ask, as each agency states it |
|---|---|---|
| County roads patrolled by county officers | Union County Police | Records Division, (908) 654-9809, 400 North Avenue East, Westfield. |
| Union Township streets | Union Township Police | "Get Your Accident Report" link to crashdocs.org. 981 Caldwell Avenue, (908) 851-5000. |
| Springfield Township | Springfield Police | "Accident Reports" link to crashdocs.org. 100 Mountain Avenue. |
| Garden State Parkway in Union Township | New Jersey State Police | State Police crash reports portal (211 township injury accidents in 2023 and 2024). |
None of the three local agency pages states a wait; the State Police portal says reports can take up to 14 business days. Elizabeth's free CrashDocs route is on the Elizabeth crash records page.
Fees, the toll-road portal and the form drivers file when no officer came are on how to get your New Jersey accident report, agency by agency.3
Which Union County towns have the most injury accidents?
Elizabeth, with 2,287 in 2023 and 2024, then Union Township with 1,453. Together they hold 40.5% of the county's injury accidents.
Deaths follow a different order. Linden had 12, six times Union Township's 2, and Berkeley Heights had 6 from only 126 injury accidents.
See the full table
| Rank | Municipality | Someone hurt or killed | All accidents | People hurt | People killed | Pedestrian accidents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elizabeth | 2,287 | 10,155 | 3,109 | 24 | 351 |
| 2 | Union Township | 1,453 | 6,696 | 1,902 | 2 | 75 |
| 3 | Linden | 1,089 | 4,789 | 1,475 | 12 | 86 |
| 4 | Plainfield | 839 | 3,640 | 1,161 | 7 | 110 |
| 5 | Rahway | 456 | 2,005 | 640 | 3 | 31 |
| 6 | Roselle | 423 | 1,605 | 587 | 4 | 44 |
| 7 | Springfield Township | 422 | 1,969 | 542 | 4 | 16 |
| 8 | Hillside | 414 | 2,120 | 553 | 3 | 34 |
| 9 | Cranford | 317 | 1,571 | 451 | 0 | 14 |
| 10 | Clark | 309 | 1,535 | 412 | 3 | 4 |
The other 11 Union County municipalities
| Rank | Municipality | Someone hurt or killed | All accidents | People hurt | People killed | Pedestrian accidents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Westfield | 223 | 1,170 | 283 | 1 | 25 |
| 12 | Summit | 217 | 1,179 | 269 | 2 | 25 |
| 13 | Scotch Plains | 170 | 826 | 217 | 2 | 5 |
| 14 | Kenilworth | 130 | 678 | 202 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | Berkeley Heights | 126 | 601 | 164 | 6 | 1 |
| 16 | Roselle Park | 114 | 602 | 151 | 1 | 8 |
| 17 | Mountainside | 81 | 367 | 110 | 2 | 2 |
| 18 | New Providence | 78 | 371 | 101 | 0 | 3 |
| 19 | Fanwood | 48 | 250 | 65 | 0 | 6 |
| 20 | Garwood | 34 | 156 | 45 | 0 | 5 |
| 21 | Winfield | 3 | 40 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Town detail, from pedestrians on East Grand Street to right-angle collisions in Plainfield, is on the Elizabeth crash records page, the Linden deaths and Route 1 page and the Plainfield intersections page.4
Which Union County intersections have the most injury accidents?
East Grand Street at Reid Street in Elizabeth, with 24 in 2024 and 2025. No other corner passes 17, and Roselle holds four of the top twenty.
See the full table
| Town | Intersection | Hurt or killed, 2024 + 2025 | 2024 | 2025 (preliminary) | People hurt | Pedestrian accidents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth | East Grand Street at Reid Street | 24 | 9 | 15 | 35 | 1 |
| Plainfield | Madison Avenue at West Second Street | 17 | 10 | 7 | 23 | 4 |
| Rahway | Jefferson Avenue at West Lake Avenue | 15 | 10 | 5 | 27 | 0 |
| Roselle | Route 27 (St. Georges Avenue) at Park Avenue (County Route 616) | 11 | 4 | 7 | 17 | 0 |
| Elizabeth | Magie Avenue (County Route 618) at Stiles Street | 11 | 4 | 7 | 16 | 1 |
| Roselle | Chandler Avenue at East 2nd Avenue | 11 | 7 | 4 | 14 | 1 |
| Elizabeth | Fairmount Avenue at Route 27 (Newark Avenue) | 10 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 4 |
| Elizabeth | Magnolia Avenue at Walnut Street | 9 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 0 |
| Roselle | East 3rd Avenue (County Route 612) at Park Street | 9 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 0 |
| Rahway | Madison Avenue at West Lake Avenue | 8 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 0 |
Eight of the next ten corners, at 7 or 8 injury accidents each, are in Elizabeth, Plainfield and Linden, and their town pages list them. Division Street at Livingston Street in Elizabeth is the only top-twenty corner with a death.
Statewide, see New Jersey intersections with the most injury accidents.5
What do the records show for Union Township?
Union Township had 1,453 injury accidents in 2023 and 2024, 10th of 564 New Jersey towns. 64.1% were on state-run roads, against 42.3% countywide.
Rear-end accidents were 45.6% of the township's injury accidents (663), against 30.5% for the county. Fridays had 255, Sundays 150.
What happened on Morris Ave in Union, NJ, by the records?
Route 82, which includes Morris Avenue, had 183 injury accidents in Union Township in 2023 and 2024, and nobody died. Green Lane and Liberty Avenue at Route 82 are among the township's top corners.
See the full table
| Road | Someone hurt or killed | All accidents | People hurt | People killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route 22 | 317 | 1,403 | 410 | 1 |
| Streets with no route number | 223 | 1,351 | 283 | 0 |
| Garden State Parkway | 211 | 1,020 | 279 | 0 |
| Route 82 (Morris Avenue, Jewish War Veterans Memorial Highway) | 183 | 711 | 250 | 0 |
| I-78 | 149 | 652 | 206 | 1 |
| County Route 630 (Vauxhall Road) | 109 | 444 | 134 | 0 |
| County Route 619 (Stuyvesant Avenue, Chestnut Street) | 93 | 364 | 116 | 0 |
| Route 124 (Springfield Avenue) | 50 | 224 | 79 | 0 |
Stuyvesant Avenue appears at three of the top four corners
See the full table
| Intersection | Hurt or killed, 2024 + 2025 | 2024 | 2025 (preliminary) | People hurt | Pedestrian accidents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stuyvesant Avenue (County Route 619) at Vauxhall Road (County Route 630) | 6 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 3 |
| Morrison Avenue at Stuyvesant Avenue | 5 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
| Stanley Terrace at Stuyvesant Avenue | 5 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 1 |
| Green Lane at Route 82 (Jewish War Veterans Memorial Highway) | 5 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
| Elmwood Avenue at Savitt Place | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| Route 124 at Valley Street | 4 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Oakland Avenue at Walker Avenue | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| Burroughs Terrace at Selfmaster Parkway | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| Liberty Avenue at Route 82 (Morris Avenue) | 4 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 0 |
| Chestnut Street (County Route 619) at Phillips Terrace | 4 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
What kinds of accidents hurt and kill people in Union County, and when?
Rear-end and right-angle accidents make up more than half of injury accidents. Pedestrian accidents kill out of all proportion: 27 of 76 deaths.
See the full table
| Accident type | Someone hurt or killed | Share of 9,235 | People killed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Same direction, rear end | 2,820 | 30.5% | 1 |
| Right angle | 2,205 | 23.9% | 13 |
| Same direction, sideswipe | 984 | 10.7% | 3 |
| Fixed object | 799 | 8.7% | 16 |
| Pedestrian | 761 | 8.2% | 27 |
| Struck parked vehicle | 428 | 4.6% | 4 |
| Bicycle | 368 | 4.0% | 4 |
| Left turn or U-turn | 335 | 3.6% | 2 |
The 5 pm hour alone held 763 injury accidents. October was the busiest month (925) and February the quietest (619).
28.9% happened in the dark and 17.3% on a wet road. The statewide pattern is on when car accidents happen in New Jersey, hour by hour.7
Which Union County car accident cases reached the Appellate Division?
Four of the 76 cases in our New Jersey appeals file came from Union County, and two plaintiffs won a new hearing. Each one is in the New Jersey car accident appeals index.
The commercial dump truck case is in our UM and UIM appeals decisions, and the 2025 verbal threshold loss is on the Linden car accident records page.8
Union County accident questions
How can I find out if someone I know has been in a car accident in Union County?
Call the Union County Police Records Division at (908) 654-9809, or the police of the town where it happened. Parkway crashes are State Police cases.
What is the latest news in Union County, NJ today, including Route 22?
Today's crashes, on Route 22 or anywhere in the county, are not in NJDOT files yet. Route 22 had 597 injury accidents in Union County in 2023 and 2024, 317 in Union Township, and preliminary 2025 files already show 4,935 countywide. See Route 22 accidents by town and cross street.
What is the current news for Cranford, NJ?
For a recent crash, such as one involving pedestrians, ask the Cranford police or the County Police Records Division. Cranford's records show 317 injury accidents in 2023 and 2024, 14 with a pedestrian, and nobody killed.
Was there a fatal accident in Union County?
76 people died in Union County accidents in 2023 and 2024. 27 died in pedestrian accidents, Route 1 had 13 deaths, and Linden had 12, the most of any town after Elizabeth's 24.
Are accident reports public record in NJ?
The basic crash report is. Serious or fatal investigation reports are not public and need a subpoena or court order, as covered on our New Jersey accident report guide.9
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 Union County. 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. 10
- 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. 11
- 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. 12
- 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. 13
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 Union County? Take the 30-second New Jersey quiz to see if a lawyer's office may review your claim for free.
Start the New Jersey accident quiz
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Sources
- Our count of Union County NJDOT crash records, 2023 and 2024 (method below).
- Our count of NJDOT crash records 2023 and 2024, grouped by road class and route number.
- County of Union, Contact the Union County Police; Township of Union, Police Department; Springfield, Police; NJSP Crash Reports portal.
- Our count of NJDOT crash records 2023 and 2024 by NJDOT municipality code.
- Our count of NJDOT intersection records 2024 and 2025 (2025 preliminary).
- Our count of Union Township NJDOT records: roads 2023 and 2024 by route number, corners 2024 and 2025 (2025 preliminary).
- Our count of NJDOT crash records 2023 and 2024 by accident type, hour, month, light and road surface.
- Our NJ appeals car-case file (76 cases), opinions on CourtListener and Justia.
- NJSP Crash Reports portal; our count of Union County 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
Records are NJDOT's 2023 archive plus 2024 and 2025 from the NJDOT Crash Data Portal, cleaned by hudcostreets/nj-crashes, with deaths from the State Police fatal feed. An injury accident has at least one person hurt or killed, counted once. Counts show where and when, not fault or claim value.
Roads group by class and route number: 120 county-coded Route 28 injury accidents sit outside its row, and the I-95 row holds 6 I-278 records, none with injuries; two stray out-of-county records are left out. Corners use 2024 and preliminary 2025; a corner spelled two ways is split, so counts are minimums, and no traffic volumes are used.