Road deaths spike in New Jersey, including more than 200 pedestrians

⚫ Road fatalities are up in 2024, compared to 2023

⚫ NJ recorded a major spike in pedestrian deaths

⚫ Middlesex County recorded the highest number of road fatalities

Compared to 2023, the number of fatal crashes on New Jersey's roads increased significantly in 2024, according to preliminary figures from New Jersey State Police.

And the statistics suggest New Jersey in 2024 recorded its highest number of pedestrian fatalities in decades.

Data through Dec. 31 point to 650 fatal crashes in the Garden State, which resulted in 687 deaths. The fatality count for 2024 is up by 13.4% compared to a year prior (606 in 2023).

Of the state's 687 victims in 2024, nearly 360 were drivers, according to the data. Eighty-two were passengers.

Compared to the year prior, 50 more pedestrians died in New Jersey in 2024 (221), according to NJSP data.

The traffic fatalities dashboard from the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety says the state hasn't seen that many pedestrian fatalities in one year since 1988.

SEE ALSO: New laws for NJ in 2025

According to yearly reports from officials, in many fatal crashes involving pedestrians, the pedestrians themselves are at least partially to blame. For example, 82 of 2023's deaths occurred when a pedestrian failed to cross the street at an intersection.

"Cross at the crosswalks, not in between vehicles," Tracy Noble, a spokesperson for AAA Mid-Atlantic, told New Jersey 101.5 in December. "And if you see that vehicle coming, don't try to beat it. Because you will not win."

Road deaths by county

When numbers are finalized later this year, the NJSP report will include road-specific information about each fatal crash. For now, 2024's road fatalities are broken down by county:

⚫ Atlantic: 56

⚫ Bergen: 41

⚫ Burlington: 45

⚫ Camden: 37

⚫ Cape May: 8

⚫ Cumberland: 32

⚫ Essex: 56

⚫ Gloucester: 32

⚫ Hudson: 19

⚫ Hunterdon: 9

⚫ Mercer: 33

⚫ Middlesex: 62

⚫ Monmouth: 54

⚫ Morris: 21

⚫ Ocean: 46

⚫ Passaic: 33

⚫ Salem: 16

⚫ Somerset: 20

⚫ Sussex: 13

⚫ Union: 38

⚫ Warren: 16

Eleven of New Jersey's victims in 2024 were under the age of 21, according to NJSP data. Seventy-four victims were aged 65 and older.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom