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Guide · Car accidents · New Jersey

After a hit-and-run in New Jersey: what to do and who pays

Updated By the Counselworthy teamGeneral information, not legal advice

Short answer

  • Call police right away and get the crash on a report.
  • Your household's PIP pays your medical bills first, whoever caused it.
  • Uninsured motorist coverage includes hit-and-run vehicles.
  • With no insurance at all, the state's Unsatisfied Claim and Judgment Fund may pay limited benefits if you tell it within 180 days.

Checked October 21, 2026.

Sources: N.J.S.A. 39:6A-4; N.J.S.A. 39:6A-4.3; N.J.S.A. 39:6A-5(g); N.J.S.A. 39:6-86.7; N.J.S.A. 17:28-1.3; N.J.S.A. 17:28-1.1(a), (b), (e); New Jersey Property-Liability Insurance Guaranty Association, Unsatisfied Claim & Judgment Fund; UCJF Claims, N.J.S.A. 39:6-65 and 39:6-70; Pedestrian Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Claims, N.J.S.A. 39:6-61 et seq.; Notice of Intention to Make a Claim (UCJF). Every fact cites a source

Right after a hit-and-run

A driver in a crash that hurts someone must stop and give their name, address, license and registration. A driver who leaves breaks that law. Your first job is a record of what happened.

  • DoCall police right away, even if you feel fine. The state fund's claim form asks for a copy of the police report.
  • DoWrite down what you remember about the car: any part of the plate, the color, the make, which way it went.
  • DoGet names and phone numbers from anyone who saw it, and ask nearby shops and buildings whether a camera caught it.
  • DoGet checked by a doctor and keep every record and bill.
  • Don'tDon't chase the driver.
Source: N.J.S.A. 39:4-129(a), (c); N.J.S.A. 39:4-130; New Jersey Property-Liability Insurance Guaranty Association, Unsatisfied Claim & Judgment Fund; UCJF Claims, N.J.S.A. 39:6-65 and 39:6-70; Pedestrian Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Claims, N.J.S.A. 39:6-61 et seq.; Notice of Intention to Make a Claim (UCJF)

Medical bills: PIP pays first

You or a relative you live with has a New Jersey auto policyYour household's PIP

It pays your medical bills whoever caused the crash, in a car or on foot. It covers up to $250,000 per person unless a lower amount was chosen in writing.

No auto policy in your householdThe state fund, maybe

A pedestrian struck by a private car, with no other coverage, may get PIP from the Unsatisfied Claim and Judgment Fund. Notice is due within 2 years of the injury.

Source: N.J.S.A. 39:6A-4; N.J.S.A. 39:6A-4.3; N.J.S.A. 39:6A-5(g); N.J.S.A. 39:6-86.7; N.J.S.A. 17:28-1.3; New Jersey Property-Liability Insurance Guaranty Association, Unsatisfied Claim & Judgment Fund; UCJF Claims, N.J.S.A. 39:6-65 and 39:6-70; Pedestrian Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Claims, N.J.S.A. 39:6-61 et seq.; Notice of Intention to Make a Claim (UCJF)

Uninsured motorist coverage covers hit-and-runs

Every New Jersey auto policy except a basic one must include it. It pays what you'd be owed by the driver of an uninsured, underinsured or hit-and-run vehicle, up to your limits.

NJThe minimum

$35,000 per person and $70,000 per accident for injuries, on policies issued or renewed from January 1, 2026.

Source: N.J.S.A. 17:28-1.1(a), (b), (e)
NJNot on a basic policy

A basic policy doesn't include it. Your policy's declarations page shows whether you have it, and your limits.

Source: N.J.S.A. 17:28-1.1(a), (b), (e)
Source: N.J.S.A. 17:28-1.1(a), (b), (e)

No insurance at all: the state fund

New Jersey's Unsatisfied Claim and Judgment Fund was set up to pay people hurt in hit-and-runs. It pays limited benefits to people who qualify when no insurance is available.

  1. Tell the fund within 180 daysFile a Notice of Intention to Make a Claim within 180 days of the crash. The fund says you can't collect if you miss it.Source: New Jersey Property-Liability Insurance Guaranty Association, Unsatisfied Claim & Judgment Fund; UCJF Claims, N.J.S.A. 39:6-65 and 39:6-70; Pedestrian Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Claims, N.J.S.A. 39:6-61 et seq.; Notice of Intention to Make a Claim (UCJF)
  2. Send the police reportThe claim form asks for a copy of the police report.Source: New Jersey Property-Liability Insurance Guaranty Association, Unsatisfied Claim & Judgment Fund; UCJF Claims, N.J.S.A. 39:6-65 and 39:6-70; Pedestrian Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Claims, N.J.S.A. 39:6-61 et seq.; Notice of Intention to Make a Claim (UCJF)
  3. Who can't collectSomeone whose injury is covered by workers' compensation can't, and neither can someone who owned an uninsured vehicle.Source: New Jersey Property-Liability Insurance Guaranty Association, Unsatisfied Claim & Judgment Fund; UCJF Claims, N.J.S.A. 39:6-65 and 39:6-70; Pedestrian Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Claims, N.J.S.A. 39:6-61 et seq.; Notice of Intention to Make a Claim (UCJF)
Source: New Jersey Property-Liability Insurance Guaranty Association, Unsatisfied Claim & Judgment Fund; UCJF Claims, N.J.S.A. 39:6-65 and 39:6-70; Pedestrian Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Claims, N.J.S.A. 39:6-61 et seq.; Notice of Intention to Make a Claim (UCJF)

Hit-and-runs in Jersey City

From the police reports in NJDOT's final crash tables.

  • 1 in 4crashes in Jersey City that hurt someone on foot was a hit-and-run, where a driver left: 274 of 1,067.
  • 22%of crashes in Jersey City that hurt someone on a bike were hit-and-runs, where a driver left: 128 of 591.
  • 14%of crashes in Jersey City that hurt someone were hit-and-runs, where a driver left: 884 of 6,139.
  • 80hit-and-runs that hurt someone on Kennedy Boulevard, the most of any road we have a page for. Next: Communipaw Avenue (39) and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive (37).

What police wrote on each crash report (form NJTR-1), 2019 to 2023, the newest years NJDOT has published in full. It isn't a finding of fault. Source: NJDOT crash tables, checked October 16, 2026.

See every crash on Jersey City's crash map

The deadlines

  1. Tell the state fund you'll make a claimN.J.S.A. 39:6-65180 days
  2. Pedestrian PIP notice to the state fundNew Jersey Property-Liability Insurance Guaranty Association2 years
  3. A PIP payment is overdue afterN.J.S.A. 39:6A-5(g)60 days of written notice
  4. Sue a driver who's found, in generalN.J.S.A. 2A:14-2(a)2 years
Source: New Jersey Property-Liability Insurance Guaranty Association, Unsatisfied Claim & Judgment Fund; UCJF Claims, N.J.S.A. 39:6-65 and 39:6-70; Pedestrian Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Claims, N.J.S.A. 39:6-61 et seq.; Notice of Intention to Make a Claim (UCJF); N.J.S.A. 39:6A-4; N.J.S.A. 39:6A-4.3; N.J.S.A. 39:6A-5(g); N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2(a)

When it's worth asking a lawyer

  1. The driver is foundThen a claim can go against the driver and their insurer. The general deadline to sue is 2 years.Source: N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2(a)
  2. Your injury may be permanentWith the lawsuit limit, pain and suffering depends on whether the injury is one the law lists.Source: N.J.S.A. 39:6A-8(a); N.J.S.A. 39:6A-2(i); N.J.S.A. 39:6A-8.1(b)
  3. Your own insurer is the one saying noComplaints about an insurer go in writing to the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance.Source: New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, How to Request Assistance; N.J.S.A. 17:29B-4(9)(f)

Sources

General information, not legal advice. We don't know the facts of your claim. A lawyer can review them, and most injury lawyers offer a free consultation.

What to do next

Questions people ask

What happens if you're hit by a hit-and-run driver in New Jersey?

Your household's PIP pays your medical bills first. Uninsured motorist coverage can pay what the driver would have owed, up to your limits. With no insurance at all, the state's Unsatisfied Claim and Judgment Fund may pay limited benefits.

Does uninsured motorist coverage cover a hit-and-run in New Jersey?

Yes. New Jersey's required coverage includes a hit-and-run vehicle, not only a driver with no insurance. Basic policies don't include it.

What if I have no car insurance and a hit-and-run driver hurt me?

If no one in your household has a policy, you may be able to claim from the state's Unsatisfied Claim and Judgment Fund. Tell the fund within 180 days of the crash. A pedestrian's PIP notice is due within 2 years.

Do I need a police report after a hit-and-run?

The state fund's claim form asks for a copy of the police report. Drivers in a crash that hurts someone must report it to police right away.

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