A man crossing Route 1&9 in Elizabeth was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer Wednesday night, prompting police to shut down the northbound local lanes of Spring Street near the Newark city line while they investigated. Officers arriving at the scene found the man dead, with the truck stopped in the middle of the roadway.
Emergency responders received calls at approximately 9:40 p.m. Wednesday about a pedestrian struck near 1166 Spring Street, according to RLS Media, which reported that authorities closed all northbound lanes of Route 1 between North Avenue and the Newark city line during the investigation. Daily Voice reported that the northbound local lanes were closed and that the man was attempting to cross the highway when the tractor-trailer struck him, according to a witness who spoke with police. City spokesperson Ruby Contreras relayed that account, per the outlet's reporting.
The Elizabeth Police Department's Traffic Division and the Union County Crash Investigation Team both responded to investigate, and the New Jersey Department of Transportation assisted with traffic control at the scene. The crash remains under investigation, and no further details about the driver or the circumstances leading up to the collision have been released.
Other Recent Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in Elizabeth
Other Recent Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in Elizabeth In November 2025, a pedestrian was struck and killed at the intersection of Route 1&9 and Broad Street in Elizabeth, according to FreedomNewsTV.
Spring Street functions as the northbound local lanes of U.S. Route 1&9, a corridor that carries heavy commercial truck traffic toward Newark Airport and Port Newark while cutting through dense residential and commercial blocks. The state has already flagged this stretch as uniquely dangerous: the New Jersey Department of Transportation designated the Route 1&9 corridor running from Dennis Place in Linden to East Grand Street in Elizabeth as Priority No. 10 on its statewide Pedestrian Safety Management System list, citing an overrepresentation of pedestrian crashes.
Safety Upgrades Already in Place
State officials have taken some steps to address the danger. In December 2024, the New Jersey Department of Transportation installed Red-Light Extension and Passive Pedestrian Detection systems along Route 1&9 in Elizabeth at North Avenue, Fairmount Avenue, and East Jersey Street.
New Jersey established a statewide Target Zero Commission under legislation Governor Phil Murphy signed in early 2025.
Statewide Numbers Offer a Mixed Picture
Zooming out, New Jersey's pedestrian fatality numbers actually improved last year. Preliminary data from the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety showed statewide pedestrian deaths dropped roughly 24% in 2025 to 175, down from a 36-year high of 230 in 2024. Overall traffic fatalities statewide fell from 684 in 2024 to 582 in 2025.
National data underscores why nighttime highway crossings like this one are especially perilous. A Governors Highway Safety Association analysis found that more than three-quarters of all U.S. pedestrian fatalities occur after dark, and light trucks or SUVs account for 54% of pedestrian deaths where the vehicle type is known. For residents along Spring Street, nighttime pedestrian crashes pose a serious risk.
