Seaford, NY — Crash Data, Roads, History & Law
Seaford is an unincorporated hamlet in the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, with 15,251 residents at the 2020 Census. Federal crash records show 8 fatal crashes that killed 8 people within its boundaries from 2010 through 2024 — 4 of them on foot. Sunrise Highway (NY 27) accounted for more of those deaths (3) than any other road. Residents who commute travel an average of 38.4 minutes each way.
Long Island Town Fact Book · Updated · Sources & method
Seaford at a glance
- Status
- Hamlet (unincorporated; census-designated place)
- Town
- Hempstead
- County
- Nassau County
- Population (2020 Census)
- 15,251[C]
- Housing units (2020)
- 5,475
- Land area
- 2.61 sq mi
- Density
- 5,844 people per sq mi
- Average commute
- 38.4 minutes[B]
- Traffic deaths, 2010–2024
- 8[A]
- ZIP Code
- 11783
- Legal status
- Unincorporated hamlet in the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County[1]
- Main roads
- Sunrise Highway (NY 27); Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway (NY 135 / Ralph J. Marino Expressway)[2]
- Census geography
- Seaford CDP · GEOID 3666058 · GNIS 2390268
- Coordinates
- 40.6662°N, 73.4926°W
Hamlets in New York have no legal boundary or government of their own. Figures here use the Census Bureau's census-designated place, the standard statistical outline for the community; local usage of the name can be wider or narrower.
Fatal crashes in Seaford, 2010–2024
From January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2024, 8 people died in 8 crashes on public roads inside Seaford, according to the federal Fatality Analysis Reporting System.[A] Pedestrians account for 4 of those deaths (50%). The deadliest year was 2018, with 3 deaths.
- Fatal crashes
- 8
- People killed
- 8
- Pedestrians
- 4
- Bicyclists
- 0
- Motorcyclists
- 0
- Vehicle occupants
- 4
2024 figures come from NHTSA's Annual Report File and may be revised.
View the chart as a table
| Year | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | 1 | 1 |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 2 | 2 |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 | 1 |
| 2018 | 3 | 3 |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 |
Roads where people died
| Road | Crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrise Highway (NY 27) | 3 | 3 |
| Seaford–Oyster Bay Expressway (NY 135) | 1 | 1 |
| County Route 27 | 1 | 1 |
| Alder Ct | 1 | 1 |
| Merrick Road | 1 | 1 |
| Washington Ave | 1 | 1 |
Road names as recorded by police and normalised to common Long Island names.
When and where
- Of the 8 crashes with a recorded time, 1 happened between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., 4 between 4 and 8 p.m., 2 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and 1 between 6 and 10 a.m.
- 63% happened in darkness.
- 1 of the 8 deaths were on expressways or parkways; 7 were on arterials and local streets.
- In at least 1 crash, a driver had a reported blood-alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. This counts known test results only; NHTSA's official alcohol estimates, which impute untested drivers, are higher.
Who owns the roads where they happened (2015–2024)
FARS has recorded the owner of the roadway since 2015. Of the 5 fatal crashes in Seaford since then:
- State highways 3 (60%)
- County roads 1 (20%)
- Town roads 1 (20%)
Ownership matters in New York because claims against a county, town, city or village generally require a notice of claim within 90 days (General Municipal Law § 50-e), while claims against the State are brought in the Court of Claims under Court of Claims Act § 10. This is general information, not legal advice.
Rate: 3.5 traffic deaths per 100,000 residents per year, against 5.8 for Nassau County. This is a resident-based rate, not a measure of how risky the roads are to drive: crashes are counted where they happen, not where the people involved live, so a small community crossed by a major highway shows a high rate.
Every fatal crash on record
| Date | Time | Road | Deaths | Who died | Light |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 a.m. | Seaford–Oyster Bay Expressway (NY 135) | 1 | Vehicle occupant | daylight | |
| 6 p.m. | Sunrise Highway (NY 27) at Seamans Neck Rd | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dark | |
| 2 p.m. | Sunrise Highway (NY 27) at Oakland Ave | 1 | Vehicle occupant | daylight | |
| 3 p.m. | County Route 27 at Washington Ave | 1 | Pedestrian | daylight | |
| 10 p.m. | Alder Ct at Alder Pl | 1 | Pedestrian | dark | |
| 7 p.m. | Sunrise Highway (NY 27) at Washington Ave | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dark | |
| 5 p.m. | Merrick Road at Jackson Ave | 1 | Pedestrian | dark | |
| 5 p.m. | Washington Ave at Clark St | 1 | Pedestrian | dark |
FARS contains no names or personal identifiers. * 2024 records are preliminary. Download all 8 records (CSV) · How this was compiled
Recent Seaford Incident Reports
Car Overturns Near Exit 9 on Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway Wednesday Night
Car Overturns Near Exit 9 on Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway Wednesday Night. on seaford oyster bay expressway. August 13, 2026.
Shane Michael Rossi, 40, of Seaford Arrested, Extradited to Pennsylvania on Bench Warrant
64-Year-Old Harley Rider Seriously Hurt in Seaford Crash With RAV4
64-Year-Old Harley Rider Seriously Hurt in Seaford Crash With RAV4. June 6, 2026.
Motorcyclist Critically Injured in Seaford Crash Under Homicide Squad Investigation
Motorcyclist Critically Injured in Seaford Crash Under Homicide Squad Investigat.
Lindenhurst Man Arrested for Assault in Seaford, Nassau County
Lindenhurst Man Arrested for Assault in Seaford, Nassau County.
Seaford Man Killed in Single-Car Crash on Southern State Parkway
Seaford Man Killed in Single-Car Crash on Southern State Parkway. December 15, 2025.
Updated continuously from 511NY, NYSP, NCPD, and SCPD feeds — all Long Island reports.
All reported crashes in the Town of Hempstead, 2021–2024
New York's crash file codes each crash to a town, city or village — never to a hamlet — so the finest official count that covers Seaford is for the Town of Hempstead, which contains it. Police reported 68,511 crashes there from 2021 through 2024 — about 46.9 a day. 18,712 (27.3%) injured someone and 142 were fatal. [D]
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15,884 | 17,747 | 17,500 | 17,380 | 68,511 |
- Injury crashes
- 18,712
- Fatal crashes
- 142
- Struck a pedestrian
- 1,410
- Struck a bicyclist
- 742
- Struck a deer
- 5
Counts are crashes, not people. The municipality is entered by the reporting police agency, and coding is less consistent for small villages, so compare places with care.
How Seaford gets to work
Seaford commuters travel an average of 38.4 minutes each way, 2.4 minutes longer than the Nassau County average (the national average is 26.4 minutes). About 63.3% of workers drive alone, and 10.6% ride the railroad. [B]
| Measure | Seaford | Nassau County | New York State | United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average one-way commute | 38.4 min ±6.7 | 36 min | 32.6 min | 26.4 min |
| Commute 60 minutes or longer | 26.9% ±6 | 22.3% | 16.8% | 8.6% |
| Commute under 15 minutes | 17.3% ±3.8 | 17.9% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Drive alone | 63.3% ±8.6 | 60.7% | 48.8% | 68.8% |
| Carpool | 7% ±3 | 7.3% | 6.3% | 8.5% |
| Commuter rail (LIRR) | 10.6% ±4.4 | 7.1% | 1.8% | 0.3% |
| Bus | 0.2% ±0.3 † | 2.2% | 5.1% | 1.5% |
| Walk | 1.1% ±0.9 † | 2% | 5.6% | 2.4% |
| Work from home | 13% ±3.7 | 15.6% | 14.9% | 15.1% |
| Leave home before 6 a.m. | 18.3% ±4.4 | 10.8% | 10.6% | 14.4% |
| Households with no vehicle | 1.4% ±1.1 † | 6.8% | 29.2% | 8.4% |
| Households with three or more vehicles | 29.1% ±5.8 | 23.3% | 11.8% | 21.9% |
Survey estimates for 8,188 workers aged 16 and over; ± values are 90% margins of error. † Small sample — the margin of error is large relative to the estimate, so treat the figure as indicative only. Travel-time rows exclude people who work from home.
Notable facts about Seaford
- New York State's own touring-route description ties the southern end of the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway (NY 135) to Merrick Road in Seaford.[2]
- The Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway carries a second official name, the Ralph J. Marino Expressway.[2]
- Nassau County's Seventh Precinct police station is physically located in Seaford, at 3636 Merrick Road, even though it also covers Merrick, Bellmore and Wantagh.[3][4]
- A 120-foot cellular tower built on state land in Seaford in 2004 was held immune from the Town of Hempstead's zoning law in a 2007 Appellate Division ruling.[6]
History
Seaford lies within the Town of Hempstead, whose founding deed was negotiated on December 13, 1643 between English emissaries Robert Fordham and John Carman and Native representatives the town's own archives name as the Reuckowacky, the Merockes, Matinecock and Massapequas; the deed set no boundaries or compensation, a Dutch patent followed in November 1644, and the deed itself was not confirmed until July 4, 1657.[1]
How the roads got here
Sunrise Highway, signed as New York State Route 27, runs through Seaford's commercial core as part of NYSDOT's continuous South Shore touring route "to Valley Stream, Lynbrook, Rockville Centre, Freeport, Massapequa Park."[2] The Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway begins in Seaford: NYSDOT's official description reads "NY 135 (Merrick Road) Seaford, Bethpage, Syosset (NY 25) – Nassau County," meaning the state's own route description ties the road's southern end to Merrick Road in Seaford.[2] The state separately designates this road "the Ralph J. Marino Expressway," describing it as "NY 135 (Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway): Seaford, Oyster Bay – Nassau County."[2]
State ownership of land near the expressway's Sunrise Highway interchange became the subject of litigation in the 2000s over a cellular tower (see Law and legal history).[6]
Law and legal history
In Town of Hempstead v. State of New York, 42 A.D.3d 527, decided July 24, 2007, the Appellate Division considered a challenge to a cellular tower Crown Communication erected in November 2004 on "State-owned property located within the Town near the intersection of the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway and the Sunrise Highway" — that is, in Seaford.[6] The state Department of Transportation had notified the town of the plan in 2003 and issued a negative environmental declaration; neighbors objected that the 120-foot tower stood about 250 feet from residential homes.[6] The majority held the tower "immune from local zoning laws" under the balancing test of Matter of County of Monroe, reasoning that the public benefit of expanded cellular coverage in the area outweighed the local zoning interest; a dissent argued the tower should have been sited more than 500 feet from homes elsewhere on the same state parcel.[6]
As elsewhere in the Town of Hempstead's unincorporated area, claims over defects in town-maintained streets and sidewalks in Seaford require prior written notice under section 6-1 or 6-3 of the Code of the Town of Hempstead, while Nassau County roads carry a parallel notice requirement under section 12-4.0(e) of the Nassau County Administrative Code.[7][8]
Cases of record
- Town of Hempstead v. State of New York, 42 A.D.3d 527 (2007)[6]
- Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Second Department, 2007. Concerned a 120-foot cellular tower built on state land in Seaford, at the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway/Sunrise Highway interchange.The court held the state-owned telecommunications tower immune from local zoning regulation under the governmental-immunity balancing test, finding the public benefit of expanded cellular coverage outweighed the town's zoning interest; a dissent would have required relocating the tower farther from nearby homes.
Each summary describes the cited decision only. Later appellate history is noted where we found it, but it has not been checked systematically — confirm a case's current status with a citator before relying on it. General information, not legal advice.
Government, courts and policing
Seaford is unincorporated and has no village government, but it is the physical headquarters of its own police precinct: the Nassau County Police Department's Seventh Precinct sits at 3636 Merrick Road in Seaford and states that it "serves the communities of Merrick, Bellmore, Wantagh, North Wantagh, Seaford, Massapequa, North Massapequa, Massapequa Park and East Massapequa."[3][4]
Misdemeanors, lesser offenses, felony arraignments and civil claims up to $15,000 from Seaford go to the Nassau County District Court at 99 Main Street, Hempstead; larger civil matters go to Nassau County Supreme Court in Mineola; non-criminal traffic and parking tickets go to the county's Traffic & Parking Violations Agency in Garden City.[9][10][11]
Landmarks and listed places
- Washington Avenue Park — Nassau County park at Jerusalem and Washington avenues, Seaford[12]
Seaford timeline
- Hempstead deed. Robert Fordham and John Carman negotiated the founding land deed for the Town of Hempstead, confirmed only in 1657.[1]
- Cell tower proposed. The state Department of Transportation notified the Town of Hempstead of plans for a cellular tower on state land near the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway/Sunrise Highway intersection.[6]
- Tower built. Crown Communication erected a 120-foot cellular tower on the site.[6]
- Town of Hempstead v. State. The Appellate Division held the state-owned tower immune from the town's local zoning law.[6]
Major roads in Seaford
| Road | Route | Maintained by | In Seaford |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrise Highway [2] | NY 27 | New York State | runs through the hamlet's commercial core |
| Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway [2] | NY 135 / Ralph J. Marino Expressway | New York State | begins at Merrick Road in Seaford and runs north to Oyster Bay via Bethpage and Syosset |
Emergency Resources
Hospitals
- Mount Sinai South Nassau — One Healthy Way, Oceanside, NY 11572 — (516) 632-3000 (Level II trauma center per NYS DOH.)
- Good Samaritan University Hospital — 1000 Montauk Highway, West Islip, NY 11795 — (631) 376-3000 (Level I adult trauma center and Level II pediatric trauma center per NYS DOH.)
Police
- Nassau County Police Department, Seventh Precinct — 3636 Merrick Road, Seaford, NY 11783 — (516) 573-6700 (The precinct is physically located in Seaford and lists Seaford among the communities it serves.)
Courts
- Nassau County District Court — 99 Main Street, Hempstead, NY 11550 — (516) 493-4200 (Civil claims up to $15,000, misdemeanors, felony arraignments. Chief Clerk: (516) 493-4159.)
- Nassau County Supreme Court — 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 — (516) 493-3400 (Civil matters, including personal-injury actions.)
- Nassau County Traffic & Parking Violations Agency — 801 Axinn Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530 — (516) 572-2700 (Adjudicates traffic, parking and photo-enforcement tickets.)
Local Driver Services in Seaford
Practical resources for Seaford drivers — tire shops, gas prices, and live traffic conditions.
Safety Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do after a car accident in Seaford, NY?
Call 911 immediately and document the scene with photos. Exchange insurance information with all parties involved and collect witness contact details. File a police report with NCPD and notify your insurance company promptly. New York's no-fault law requires your own PIP insurance to cover initial medical costs.
Which roads are most dangerous in Seaford?
Sunrise Highway through Seaford carries heavy east-west traffic and the commercial driveways along the route create frequent turning conflicts. The Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway interchanges at Sunrise Highway and the Southern State Parkway see high-speed merge collisions. Merrick Road through the hamlet's commercial core also experiences elevated crash rates.
Where is the nearest hospital to Seaford?
Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside is the closest major emergency facility, approximately fifteen minutes west. Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip is accessible via Sunrise Highway heading east. For severe trauma, Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow serves as the county's Level I trauma center.
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Data: machine-readable fact sheet (JSON) · fatal-crash records (CSV) · methodology and limits
References
Datasets
- [A] National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2010–2024 national files. Retrieved September 17, 2026.Crashes on public trafficways in which a person died within 30 days. No personal identifiers. Placed by reported coordinates into 2020 Census boundaries.
- [B] U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates, tables B08303, B08013, B08301, B08302, B08201, B19013, B01002. Retrieved September 17, 2026.Survey estimates with 90% margins of error. lowReliability = coefficient of variation above 30%.
- [C] U.S. Census Bureau, TIGERweb — 2020 Census tabulation geography (POP100, HU100, AREALAND). Retrieved September 17, 2026.
- [D] New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Vehicle Crashes — Case Information: Four Year Window. Retrieved September 17, 2026.Police-reported crashes coded to a town, city or village by the reporting agency. Hamlets are not coded; hamlet pages show the parent town.
Sources for history, roads and law
- [1] Town of Hempstead (Town Clerk Archives). History of the Town (n.d.). Government record.
- [2] New York State Department of Transportation, Office of Traffic Safety & Mobility. Official Description of Highway Touring Routes, Bicycle Touring Routes, Scenic Byways, & Commemorative/Memorial Designations in New York State (2017). Government record.
- [3] Nassau County Police Department. About Precinct (Seventh Precinct) (n.d.). Government record.
- [4] Nassau County Police Department. Nassau County Police Department Precincts (addresses and telephone numbers) (n.d.). Government record.
- [5] Catholic Health. Good Samaritan University Hospital (n.d.). Institution.
- [6] Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School Library. Town of Hempstead v. State of New York, 42 A.D.3d 527 (2007) (2007). Court decision.
- [7] Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School Library. Cuzzo v. Town of Hempstead, 61 A.D.3d 921 (2009) (2009). Court decision.
- [8] Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School Library. Cimino v. County of Nassau, 105 A.D.3d 883 (2013) (2013). Court decision.
- [9] New York State Unified Court System. Nassau County District Court (2026). Court decision.
- [10] New York State Unified Court System. Nassau County Supreme Court (2026). Court decision.
- [11] Nassau County. Traffic & Parking Violations Agency (2026). Government record.
- [12] Nassau County. Facility Details: Washington Avenue Park (n.d.). Government record.
- [13] Mount Sinai Health System. Mount Sinai South Nassau (n.d.). Institution.
- [14] New York State Department of Health. New York State Trauma Centers (n.d.). Government record.
Sources opened and checked September 17, 2026.