NEW JERSEY – Ocean County recorded the highest number of traffic fatalities in New Jersey in 2025, even as statewide deaths dropped sharply and the state met key highway safety goals, according to preliminary data from New Jersey State Police.
State Police counted 62 deaths in 53 crashes in Ocean County, the most of any county, as New Jersey reported 575 traffic fatalities statewide in 2025, down from 684 in 2024. The decline represents a 15% reduction after the previous year reached a 30-year high.
The statewide total came in just under the target set in New Jersey’s Highway Safety Plan, which aimed to limit fatalities to no more than 577 deaths.
Ocean County also ranked second in pedestrian fatalities, with 17 deaths, trailing only Essex County, which recorded 25. State Police cautioned that all figures remain preliminary and could change.
Middlesex County followed Ocean County in overall fatalities with 48 deaths in 48 crashes, while Essex County recorded 42 deaths in 42 crashes. Hunterdon County reported the fewest fatalities statewide, with six deaths in six crashes.
Pedestrian deaths fell significantly across New Jersey, dropping from 230 in 2024 — a 30% year-over-year increase — to 173 in 2025. Cyclist fatalities declined slightly, from 18 to 17.
New Jersey’s reduction outperformed national expectations. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had projected only a 10% decline in fatalities between 2024 and 2025. Nationwide, fatalities were expected to fall even as Americans drove about 25 billion more miles, according to federal estimates.
The decline coincided with the launch of the state’s Target Zero initiative.
