How to Get a Crash Report in New Jersey

The New Jersey State Police keeps the crash reports its own personnel write, and its online crash report portal also takes requests for New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway reports. You can buy and download these basic crash reports (form NJTR-1) from that portal once they are completed and approved.^1,2

Last verified: October 9, 2026, against the official sources linked below.

This is general information, not legal advice. Fees and timelines can change, so check with the agency named here before you request a report or pay.

Who keeps crash reports

The New Jersey State Police keeps the crash reports its own personnel write. Its Discovery Unit processes and keeps all State Police motor vehicle and boat crash reports. The portal lists the State Police as the contact for questions about non-toll road crash reports, boat crash reports and serious or fatal crash records requests.^1,2

New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway crash reports are requested through the State Police crash report portal. Questions about these toll road reports and their delivery go to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. The portal lists its contact as Operations Department, Attn: Data Resources Program, P.O. Box 5042, Woodbridge, NJ 07095.^2,3

You get Atlantic City Expressway crash reports from the Atlantic City Expressway Authority. The State Police portal cannot deliver them.^2,3

The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) collects all police crash report forms (NJTR-1) in the state, from both state and local police. NJDOT says it uses this information mainly to develop its safety programs.⁴

How to request a copy

Online (State Police, Turnpike and Parkway reports): Go to the State Police crash report portal and click "Request a Roadway Crash Report." For a New Jersey Turnpike or Garden State Parkway crash, select "Toll Roads." Search for your report and pay for it. When it is ready, you get an email with download instructions. Use the access key in that email to download the report from the portal's "Retrieve Order" page.^1,2,3,5

By mail (Atlantic City Expressway crashes): Send a written request to the Atlantic City Expressway Authority, P.O. Box 389, Hammonton, NJ 08037. The State Police portal cannot deliver these reports.^2,3

OPRA form (fatal Turnpike or Parkway crashes): The NJTR-1 for a fatal crash on the New Jersey Turnpike or Garden State Parkway can only be requested through the OPRA form on the New Jersey Turnpike Authority website.²

Records request (serious or fatal crashes): The basic NJTR-1 does not include other investigation documents. To request them, choose "Records Request for a Serious/Fatal Crash" in the portal and upload a subpoena or court order. The records packet is mailed to the address you give.²

Printed crash photographs: First, call the State Police Criminal Justice Records Bureau to get a Verification Code and the number of photographs available for your case number. The bureau takes calls Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Its phone number is on the bureau's official page. Then order the prints through the portal's printed photographs request.^1,3,6

Reports more than six years old: The portal only covers crashes that happened no more than six years before the current year. For an older non-toll road report, the portal says to contact the New Jersey State Police for help.^3,7

Boat crash reports: Use the portal's boat crash report search. You search by crash details instead of a case number. The report is delivered by email.^2,7

What you'll need

Roadway crash report: Search by the case number, a driver's license number, a license plate number, or the last name of a person involved in the crash. You do not have to create an account.³

Boat crash report: You need the driver's first and last name, the crash date and the crash location. The crash time, registration number and boat type are optional.⁷

Serious or fatal crash records request: You need the case number, the crash date, the docket number for the court order and a Bar Association number. You also upload the subpoena or court order as PDF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, TIFF or TIF files. You can upload up to 10 files, and each must be under 5 MB.^3,8

Printed photographs: You need a Verification Code and the number of photographs available for your case number. You get both from the State Police before you order.^3,6

What it costs

Through the portal, non-toll road and boat crash reports cost $13.00. New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway crash reports cost $5.00.^2,3

Serious or fatal crash investigation reports, digital media, photographs and statements cost $20.00. Printed photographs cost $5.00 each for up to 10 prints and $3.00 for each print after that.²

The portal accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express credit or debit cards. If you set up an online account, you can also pay by eCheck.^2,3

How long it takes

A crash report shows up in the portal only after it is completed and approved. If yours is not there yet, search again in a couple of days. If you are still searching for a crash that happened more than 15 business days ago, the portal says to contact the New Jersey State Police directly.^2,3

A roadway crash report request may take up to 14 business days, depending on its stage of processing. You get an email when the report is ready. The portal also emails you if it cannot fill your request.^2,3

Once a roadway crash report is delivered, you can access it for up to 14 days.²

Boat crash reports and serious or fatal crash records requests may take up to one month. The boat report search page warns that searching by crash details can take up to 3 months. The portal asks you to call the State Police about these requests only after one month has passed.^2,7

Records request packets are mailed to the address you give. Allow 5 to 10 business days for delivery.²

Crash reports are only available for six years from the year of the crash.²

Who can get a copy

The basic crash report (NJTR-1) is a public record. You can buy it through the online portal.²

Serious or fatal crash investigation reports are not public records. To get the investigation report, digital media, photographs or statements for a serious or fatal crash, you need a subpoena signed by an officer of the court or an order issued by a judge.²

If city police or a sheriff handled the crash

Local police departments in New Jersey also file police crash reports on the NJTR-1 form.^4,9

The Paterson Police Department has its own "Obtain a Traffic Collision Report" link on its page on the New Jersey Attorney General's website.¹⁰

Do you need to file your own report?

To report a crash the police did not investigate, you use the New Jersey Self-Reporting Crash form (SR-1). NJDOT says it is the only form for this purpose. Police agencies use a different form, the NJTR-1.^9,11

The SR-1 form says the driver in a crash that causes injury or death, or more than $500 in damage to any one person's property, must send a written report within ten days of the crash. It says no written report is needed if a law enforcement officer submits a written report of the crash.¹²

The SR-1 form says failure to report will result in the suspension of both driving and registration privileges.¹²

You can fill out the SR-1 online and get an acknowledgment within minutes. NJDOT says the online receipt is equal to an NJDOT-stamped paper copy, and you can give it to your insurance company.¹¹

To file on paper, mail the form to NJ Department of Transportation, 1035 Parkway Avenue, CN 600, Trenton, NJ 08625-0600, Attn: Bureau of Transportation Data and Support. Keep a copy, and do not send extra items such as photos or videos. Put your email address on the form to get your document back faster.¹²

The SR-1 form also says to report the crash directly to your insurance representative. Failing to report may put your vehicle liability insurance at risk.¹²

NJDOT does not investigate self-reported crashes. The SR-1 form says these reports are not available for public information.¹²

What we couldn't confirm

We could not confirm from an official state source whether crash reports written by local or county police are in the State Police portal. If local police handled your crash, ask that department where to get the report.
We could not confirm whether NJDOT gives copies of individual police crash reports to the public.
We found no official instructions for requesting a State Police crash report by mail or in person. We also could not confirm what the Turnpike Authority's OPRA form asks for.
We could not confirm whether the portal adds a service or card fee at checkout. We also could not confirm fees for local police reports, Atlantic City Expressway reports or OPRA requests to the Turnpike Authority. Check with the agency before you pay.
We could not confirm how long it takes to get a report from local police departments, from the Atlantic City Expressway Authority or through the Turnpike Authority's OPRA form.