If police responded after you were injured in New Jersey, getting a copy of their report can help you understand what was documented at the scene and provide important information for an insurance claim or New Jersey personal injury case.
How you obtain that report depends largely on what happened. Motor vehicle crashes generally involve an NJTR-1 crash report, which can often be requested through New Jersey’s online crash-report system. Police records involving falls, assaults, or other incidents may have to be requested from the law enforcement agency that maintains them, and some records may be subject to restrictions under the New Jersey Open Public Records Act (OPRA).
Key Takeaways: Getting a Police Report in New Jersey
- Car accident reports are usually the easiest to obtain. The basic NJTR-1 crash report is generally a public record and can often be ordered through New Jersey’s online crash-report portal.
- You generally do not need an OPRA request just to obtain an NJTR-1. Motor vehicle crash reports are available under separate New Jersey law, although an exception applies to certain fatal crashes on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway.
- Other police records may require a different process. For an assault, fall, premises accident, or another incident, you may need to contact the police department or submit an OPRA request.
- Not every police record is public. Criminal investigatory records and certain protected information may be withheld or redacted.
- Crash reports are not always available immediately. New Jersey advises that an NJTR-1 may take up to 14 business days from the crash date to become complete, approved, and searchable online.
How Do You Get a Police Report After an Accident in New Jersey?
Start by identifying which law enforcement agency responded to the incident and what type of report was created.
When police prepare a motor vehicle crash report in New Jersey, they generally use the NJTR-1 Police Crash Investigation Report. Under N.J.S.A. 39:4-131, these crash reports are generally available for inspection and copying.
For other injuries—such as a fall at a business, an assault, or an incident involving allegedly inadequate security—the responding police department may instead create an incident report or investigative record. Obtaining those records may require contacting the agency’s records custodian and, in some cases, submitting an OPRA request.
The distinction matters because an NJTR-1 crash report is not treated exactly the same way as every other police record in New Jersey.
How Do You Get a New Jersey Car Accident Report Online?
New Jersey provides an online Crash Report Requests portal for many roadway crashes.
The system covers:
- Non-toll road crashes
- New Jersey Turnpike crashes
- Garden State Parkway crashes
- Certain other crash-related records
For a roadway crash report, the system allows you to search using identifying information such as:
- The police case number
- A driver’s license number
- A license plate number
- An involved person’s last name
You will also need information about the date of the crash.
Once the report is ready, the system provides instructions for downloading it. The state currently lists a $13 fee for non-toll roadway crash reports and a $5 fee for Turnpike and Garden State Parkway crash reports. Fees and procedures can change, so check the portal before submitting your request.
There are a few important exceptions. For fatal crashes on the New Jersey Turnpike or Garden State Parkway, the state directs requesters seeking the NJTR-1 to use the New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s OPRA process. Crashes on the Atlantic City Expressway are also not available through the standard roadway-report system; the state portal directs requesters to obtain those reports separately through the Atlantic City Expressway Authority.
How Long Does It Take to Get an NJTR-1 Crash Report?
Don't be surprised if you cannot find the report immediately after an accident.
The New Jersey crash-report system states that crash information becomes searchable only after the report has been completed and approved, which can take up to 14 business days from the date of the crash.
If your search initially returns no result, that does not necessarily mean no report exists. It may simply still be under review or awaiting approval.
Once an ordered roadway crash report is made available for download, New Jersey currently provides online access to the document for 14 days from the fulfillment date.
Is an NJTR-1 the Same as the Police Department’s Full Investigative File?
No. This is an important distinction, particularly after a serious or fatal motor vehicle crash.
The NJTR-1 is the basic police crash investigation report. It may contain information such as:
- The drivers and vehicles involved
- Insurance information
- Crash location and conditions
- Statements or observations documented by the investigating officer
- A diagram or description of how the crash occurred
- Contributing circumstances identified in the report
However, a police agency may also possess additional evidence or investigative materials, particularly after a serious accident. Those materials can include photographs, recorded statements, digital media, and supplemental investigative reports.
New Jersey’s crash-report portal specifically distinguishes the basic NJTR-1 from investigative materials associated with serious or fatal crashes. The portal requires a subpoena signed by an officer of the court or a court order to request certain serious or fatal crash investigation reports, photographs, statements, and digital media through that system.
Therefore, ordering the NJTR-1 does not necessarily mean you have obtained every piece of evidence collected by law enforcement.
How Do You Get a Police Report for an Injury That Wasn’t a Car Accident?
If police responded to an injury that did not involve a motor vehicle crash, contact the law enforcement agency that handled the incident.
Depending on the agency and the type of record, you may be able to:
- Request the record through the agency’s online records portal
- Submit a written request to the agency’s records custodian
- Mail the required request form
- Request records in person
Some records may be obtainable under New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act, commonly known as OPRA.
An OPRA request must reasonably identify the government record being requested. Providing information such as the date, location, case number, names of involved parties, and type of incident can help the agency locate the correct record.
Do not assume, however, that an OPRA request guarantees access to the entire police file.
Are All New Jersey Police Reports Public?
No.
Although New Jersey law provides public access to many government records, OPRA contains exemptions for certain records and information. One important example involves criminal investigatory records.
As a result, a police agency may deny access to some investigative materials or provide records with protected information redacted.
This can become particularly important when an injury resulted from alleged criminal conduct. A person injured in an assault, for example, should not assume that every statement, photograph, investigative note, or other record collected by police will automatically be available through a routine public-records request.
A motor vehicle crash report is different. The basic NJTR-1 has its own statutory access provisions under N.J.S.A. 39:4-131 and is generally treated as a public record.
How Long Does an Agency Have to Respond to an OPRA Request?
For an ordinary OPRA request, the records custodian generally must grant or deny access as soon as possible but no later than seven business days after receiving the request, provided the record is currently available and not in storage or archived and no different statutory response period applies.
Certain requests have a 14-business-day response period. These include requests made for a qualifying commercial purpose and records that must undergo review for compliance with Daniel’s Law. The agency must notify the requester of the additional response period within seven business days.
A response does not always mean that the requested documents will be produced within seven days. Depending on the circumstances, the custodian may:
- Provide the records
- Deny access and identify the basis for the denial
- Seek clarification about what records are being requested
- Explain that additional time is reasonably necessary to fulfill the request
These OPRA response deadlines should not be confused with the time it takes for an NJTR-1 crash report to be completed and become available through the state’s crash-report system.
What If the Police Report Contains an Error?
Police reports can contain mistakes involving names, insurance information, vehicle information, witness details, or other facts.
If you believe an NJTR-1 contains a factual error, you can contact the law enforcement agency that prepared the report and ask whether the information can be corrected or supplemented. Providing documentation supporting the requested change may help the agency evaluate the request.
New Jersey’s crash-reporting system allows law enforcement to submit a Change Report when information on an earlier NJTR-1 needs to be corrected or additional information needs to be added. However, that does not mean an officer must change the report simply because one of the people involved disagrees with something it says.
It is particularly important to distinguish between a factual error and a disagreement with the officer’s conclusions or description of the accident.
If an inaccurate report could affect an insurance or personal injury claim, consider speaking with an attorney about how the issue should be addressed and what other evidence may help establish what happened.
How Long Do You Have to Request a New Jersey Crash Report?
It is generally best to obtain a report promptly rather than assume it will remain available indefinitely through the same system.
New Jersey’s online crash-report portal currently maintains roadway crash investigation reports within a six-year retention period. Reports outside that period are not available through the portal, although additional avenues for requesting older records may exist depending on the agency and circumstances.
Getting the report early also allows you to identify missing or incorrect information while memories are fresh and other evidence may still be available.
Why Can a Police Report Matter in a New Jersey Personal Injury Claim?
A police report does not automatically determine who is legally responsible for an accident. Liability may ultimately depend on additional evidence and the particular circumstances of the case.
The report can nevertheless provide useful information, including:
- The identities of the people involved
- Insurance and vehicle information
- Witness names or contact information
- Statements made at the scene
- The officer’s observations
- The location and approximate time of the incident
- A crash diagram or description
- Other facts that can help guide further investigation
Additional evidence may include photographs, surveillance video, medical records, eyewitness testimony, vehicle damage, property records, or expert testimony.
Obtaining the report early can help identify what other evidence should be preserved or investigated.
What If Police Never Made a Report?
Not every injury will result in a police report.
For example, someone injured in a fall at a private business may have notified a store manager but never called police. In that situation, there may be a business incident report but no police report.
Likewise, if police did not respond to an accident, you should not assume an NJTR-1 or police incident report exists.
The absence of a police report does not necessarily prevent someone from pursuing an injury claim. Other evidence—such as photographs, witness information, medical records, surveillance footage, insurance records, or a property owner’s internal incident report—may help establish what occurred.
When Should You Speak With a New Jersey Personal Injury Lawyer?
Obtaining the police report is only one part of investigating an accident.
If you were seriously injured, liability is disputed, important evidence may disappear, or you are having difficulty obtaining police or investigative records, an attorney can help determine what information should be requested and what additional evidence may need to be preserved.
There may also be deadlines unrelated to the police-report request itself. New Jersey personal injury lawsuits are generally subject to a two-year statute of limitations, while claims involving public entities can be subject to substantially shorter notice requirements.
Waiting for a police report does not extend an applicable deadline for filing a claim or taking another required legal action.
Need Legal Help? Brandon J. Broderick, Attorney at Law, Is Here for You
At Brandon J. Broderick, Attorney at Law, we understand that figuring out what happened after an accident can involve much more than requesting a single report. Police records, witness statements, photographs, medical documentation, and other evidence may all play a role in understanding your legal options.
Our team is available 24/7 to discuss your accident, answer your questions, and help determine what steps may be appropriate for your situation. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation.