New Jersey
New Jersey Police Reports: How to Get a Crash Report, Incident Report, or Bodycam Video
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited August 11, 2026). · Law checked current as of August 11, 2026. · 3 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
New Jersey is one of the minority of states where a police-prepared crash report starts out public rather than confidential. N.J.S.A. 39:4-131 says so directly: those reports and the information in them shall not be privileged or held confidential, and every citizen of this State has the right, during regular business hours and under supervision, to inspect and copy them. In practice the NJSP online portal applies no residency or eligibility check to a basic report. That openness carries through to a 2025 New Jersey Supreme Court ruling on bodycam footage, covered below.
A general incident report, by contrast, runs through New Jersey's Open Public Records Act (OPRA), which treats criminal investigatory material differently from the routine crash report. Here is how to get a New Jersey crash report through the state's official portal, how OPRA governs incident reports, and what New Jersey's bodycam statute and its Supreme Court's Fuster decision mean for footage access.
Information last verified on 2026-08-11. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
This guide is part of a broader look at police reports by state. For the filing side rather than requesting a copy, see how to file a police report.
Getting a New Jersey Crash Report
New Jersey State Police operates the NJSP Crash Report Portal at njportal.com/njsp/crashreports/ for online purchase of the standard NJTR-1 crash report. The portal states plainly that no account is required to buy a basic crash report, which lines up with N.J.S.A. 39:4-131's rule that police-prepared reports are not privileged or held confidential and are not restricted to the parties involved.
Pricing is tiered by report type. A non-toll-road crash report, or a boat crash report, costs $13.00. A toll-road crash report, meaning a crash on the Turnpike or Parkway, costs $5.00. Serious or fatal investigation records cost $20.00. Photographic prints run $5.00 each for the first 10, then $3.00 each after that. Standard roadway reports become searchable on the portal only after they are completed and approved, and the portal advises checking back in a couple of days if a report is not yet available; once ready, a report is downloadable within 14 days of a delivery notification. Boat and serious or fatal records can take up to a month for delivery, with mailed packets taking 5 to 10 business days. Reports stay purchasable through the portal for six years from the crash date.
The basic crash report's openness has a limit. Serious and fatal investigation materials beyond the report itself, such as investigative documents, photographs, and witness statements, are a separate restricted tier: the portal states that a subpoena signed by an officer of the court, or an order issued by a judge, is required for those associated materials, even though the basic crash report for the same incident remains open to anyone.
A third-party convenience service, njopraportal.com, also exists to help file an OPRA request directly with a local department where the state portal does not apply. Its exact fee and response-time claims were not independently verified for this article and should not be treated as authoritative; use it, if at all, only as a filing-assistance tool rather than an official state channel.
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Getting a New Jersey Incident Report
New Jersey's Open Public Records Act, OPRA, governs incident-report and investigative-file access statewide. Because the basic crash report is carved out of confidentiality by N.J.S.A. 39:4-131, a reader generally does not need to file an OPRA request just to get that report. For other incident records, OPRA's definitions section, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1, sets the operative exclusion: a criminal investigatory record is defined as a record that is not required by law to be made, maintained, or kept on file, and that is held by a law enforcement agency and pertains to a criminal investigation or a related civil enforcement proceeding. That definition is what removes certain law enforcement material from OPRA's "government record" definition and the disclosure duty that comes with it.
New Jersey Bodycam Footage and the Fuster Decision
New Jersey regulates bodycam footage through a detailed, 19-subsection dedicated statute, N.J.S.A. 40A:14-118.5, covering when cameras must activate and deactivate, how long different categories of footage must be retained, and specific carve-outs for public inspection. Subsection (l) of that statute bridges directly to OPRA's criminal investigatory record definition described above.
The most consequential recent development is the New Jersey Supreme Court's decision in Fuster v. Township of Chatham, decided January 21, 2025. The Court held that bodycam footage is not, by definition, a criminal investigatory record under OPRA, because New Jersey's 2020 Body Worn Camera Law requires that footage to exist in the first place, meaning it fails the "not required by law to be made" element of OPRA's own criminal investigatory record definition. That reasoning means the criminal investigatory exemption cannot categorically shield bodycam footage the way it might shield other investigative material. The Court also rejected a blanket confidentiality rule for people who were interviewed on camera but never arrested or charged. For the general framework other states use, see how to request bodycam footage and New Jersey bodycam laws.
Related Resources
Police Reports by State covers the national picture. See also How to File a Police Report, How to Read a Police Report, Are Police Reports Public?, New Jersey Bodycam Laws, New Jersey Car Accident Laws, New Jersey Public Records Laws, and New Jersey Court Records.
Disclaimer
This article provides general information about how to request New Jersey crash reports, incident reports, and bodycam footage. It is not legal advice. Fees and portal mechanics change; verify current details with the New Jersey State Police, the relevant local department, or a licensed New Jersey attorney before relying on anything here for a specific situation.
Last updated: 2026-08-11. Fees and portals reflect their published status as of August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a New Jersey crash report cost?
A non-toll-road or boat crash report costs $13.00 on the NJSP Crash Report Portal. A Turnpike or Parkway crash report costs $5.00. Serious or fatal investigation records cost $20.00, and photographic prints are $5.00 each for the first 10, then $3.00 each after.
Do I need an account to get a New Jersey crash report?
No. The NJSP Crash Report Portal states that no account is required to purchase a basic crash report.
Are New Jersey police crash reports confidential?
No, not the basic report. N.J.S.A. 39:4-131 states directly that police-prepared crash reports are not privileged or held confidential, and that every citizen of this State has the right, during regular business hours and under supervision, to inspect and copy them. The NJSP portal applies no residency check to a basic report.
Can anyone get New Jersey's fatal crash investigation file, not just the basic report?
No. Serious and fatal crash investigation materials beyond the basic report, such as investigative documents, photographs, and statements, require a subpoena signed by a court officer or a judge's order.
Is New Jersey bodycam footage a public record?
Generally yes, subject to New Jersey's detailed bodycam statute and the New Jersey Supreme Court's 2025 Fuster ruling, which held that bodycam footage does not automatically qualify for OPRA's criminal investigatory record exemption because state law requires that footage to be created in the first place.
Updates
Corrected the description of N.J.S.A. 39:4-131: the statute grants the right to inspect and copy crash reports to every citizen of this State during regular business hours and under supervision, not to "every New Jersey resident," and the no-eligibility-check point is now attributed to the NJSP portal rather than to the statute.
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources; governing law re-checked for recent changes
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on the statutory provisions below, held in our own legal record and retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
New Jersey Statutes (Unannotated)
§ 39:4-131Accident reports; availability.In forcecited in 2 of our articles
39:4-131. The Department of Transportation shall prepare and supply to police departments and other suitable agencies, forms for accident reports calling for sufficiently detailed information with reference to a motor vehicle accident, including the cause, the conditions then existing, the persons and vehicles involved, the compliance with P.L.1984, c.179 (C.39:3-76.2e et seq.) by the operators and passengers of the vehicles involved in the accident, whether the operator of the vehicle was using a cellular telephone when the accident occurred, and such other information as the Commissioner of Transportation may require. Every law enforcement officer who investigates a vehicle accident of which report must be made as required in this Title, or who otherwise prepares a written or an electronic report as a result of an accident or thereafter by interviewing the participants or witnesses, shall electronically transmit a report of such accident to the department, on forms furnished by it and in the electronic format prescribed by the department, within five days after the law enforcement officer's investigation of the accident.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-02 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at lis.njleg.state.nj.us
Cited in 10 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2019
In the courts (editorial summary, independently checked):North Jersey Media Group, Inc. v. Township of Lyndhurst (2015) placed motor vehicle accident reports outside OPRA's criminal investigatory records exception because Section 39:4-131 requires them to be made public. State v. Keaton (2015) held the duty to prepare that report did not justify a warrantless vehicle search.
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- State v. Keaton (Supreme Court of New Jersey 2015, 222 N.J. 438)✓A trooper searched a crashed car for credentials without giving the injured driver a chance to produce them; the court held the duty to prepare an accident report under 39:4-131 is not an exigent circumstance justifying a warrantless search.
- North Jersey Media Group, Inc. v. Township of Lyndhurst (New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division 2015, 441 N.J. Super. 70)✓Newspapers sought police records on a fatal shooting that followed a high-speed chase; while reversing the broader disclosure order, the court held motor vehicle accident reports fall outside OPRA's criminal investigatory records exception under 39:4-131.
- Laufgas v. New Jersey Turnpike Authority (Supreme Court of New Jersey 1998, 156 N.J. 436)“…ity and dissent concerns whether the general provisions of N.J.S.A 39:4-131 and 39:4-131.1, providing access to mot…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: Are Police Reports Public Record? What's Open and What's Not
§ 40A:14-118.5Body worn cameras, recordings, regulations concerning usage; terms defined.In forcecited in 2 of our articles
1. a. For the purposes of this section: "Body worn camera" means a mobile audio and video recording system worn by a law enforcement officer, but shall not include a recording device worn by a law enforcement officer while engaging in an undercover assignment or a recording device used during a custodial interrogation conducted in a place of detention in compliance with Rule 3:17 of the Rules Governing the Courts of the State of New Jersey. "Constructive authority" means the use of the law enforcement officer's authority to exert control over a person, directed against a person who is subject to an investigative detention or arrest or against any person if the officer has un-holstered a firearm or a conducted energy device. "Force" shall include physical, mechanical, enhanced mechanical, and deadly force. "Law enforcement officer" means a person whose public duties include the power to act as an officer for the detection, apprehension, arrest, and conviction of offenders against the laws of this State. This term shall not include a correctional police officer.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-08-01 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at lis.njleg.state.nj.us
Cited in 13 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2026
In the courts (editorial summary, independently checked):Antonio Fuster v. Township of Chatham (2025) held subsection (k) did not entitle these requesters to review the footage, but ordered the body worn camera video released because no OPRA exemption applied. State v. Seligman (2025) held the subsection (q) presumption did not reach a search predating the law's June 2021 effective date.
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Antonio Fuster v. Township of Chatham (Supreme Court of New Jersey 2025)✓A father who reported his child's abuse allegation sought the body worn camera video of his own police interview; the court held subsection (k) no longer helped him once he had requested three-year retention, but ordered release since no OPRA exemption covered the video.
- State of New Jersey v. Yonathan Z. Seligman (New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division 2025)✓Officers executing a 2021 drug warrant did not timely activate their body cameras; the court held subsection (q)'s rebuttable presumption did not apply because the statute took effect after the search, and refused to make a directive violation trigger automatic suppression.
- State of New Jersey v. Kevin B. Boone (New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division 2024)✓Challenging a pretextual car stop and the warrantless search that followed, the defendant sought suppression; the court noted in a footnote that the rebuttable presumption of N.J.S.A. 40A:14-118.5 took effect after the stop and so did not apply at the suppression hearing.
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: New Jersey Police Body Camera Laws: Mandate & Access
§ 47:1A-1.1Definitions.In force
1. As used in P.L.1963, c.73 (C.47:1A-1 et seq.) as amended and supplemented: "Biotechnology" means any technique that uses living organisms, or parts of living organisms, to make or modify products, to improve plants or animals, or to develop micro-organisms for specific uses; including the industrial use of recombinant DNA, cell fusion, and novel bioprocessing techniques. "Child protective investigator in the Division of Child Protection and Permanency" means an employee of the Division of Child Protection and Permanency in the Department of Children and Families whose primary duty is to investigate reports of child abuse and neglect, or any other employee of the Department of Children and Families whose duties include investigation, response to, or review of allegations of child abuse and neglect. "Commercial purpose" means the direct or indirect use of any part of a government record for sale, resale, solicitation, rent, or lease of a service or any use by which the user expects a profit either through commission, salary, or fee.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-08-01 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at lis.njleg.state.nj.us
Cited in 153 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2026
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Burnett v. County of Bergen (Supreme Court of New Jersey 2009, 198 N.J. 408)“…kept on file in the course of ... its official business.” N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1. The realty records at the heart of thi…”
- North Jersey Media Group, Inc. v. Township of Lyndhurst (076184) (Bergen County and Statewide) (Supreme Court of New Jersey 2017, 229 N.J. 541)“…ade,” and (2) must “pertain[] to a criminal investigation.” N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1. The Attorney General’s Use of Force Po…”
- Newark Morning v. Sports & Expo. (New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division 2011, 423 N.J. Super. 140)“…roprietary commercial or financial information" as used in N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1. Further, disclosure of the details reg…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
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Sources and References
- New Jersey Statutes, N.J.S.A. 39:4-131 (accident reports; availability)(lis.njleg.state.nj.us).gov
- New Jersey Statutes, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1 (OPRA definitions, criminal investigatory record)(lis.njleg.state.nj.us).gov
- New Jersey Statutes, N.J.S.A. 40A:14-118.5 (body worn cameras, recordings, usage regulations)(lis.njleg.state.nj.us).gov
- New Jersey State Police, NJSP Crash Report Portal(njportal.com)
- NJ Government Records Council, Donato v. Jersey City Police Dept., GRC 2005-251 (quoting N.J.S.A. 39:4-131 inspect-and-copy right and mailing fee)(nj.gov)