Centereach, NY — Crash Data, Roads, History & Law
Centereach is an unincorporated hamlet in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York, with 30,980 residents at the 2020 Census. Federal crash records show 24 fatal crashes that killed 27 people within its boundaries from 2010 through 2024 — 5 of them on foot. Middle Country Road (NY 25) accounted for more of those deaths (13) than any other road. Residents who commute travel an average of 31.9 minutes each way.
Long Island Town Fact Book · Updated · Sources & method
Centereach at a glance
- Status
- Hamlet (unincorporated; census-designated place)
- Town
- Brookhaven
- County
- Suffolk County
- Population (2020 Census)
- 30,980[C]
- Housing units (2020)
- 10,405
- Land area
- 8.92 sq mi
- Density
- 3,474 people per sq mi
- Average commute
- 31.9 minutes[B]
- Traffic deaths, 2010–2024
- 27[A]
- ZIP Code
- 11720
- Bridge landmark
- The Nicolls Road overpass of Middle Country Road at Centereach is named the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge[1]
- Main roads
- NY 25 (Middle Country Road), Suffolk CR 97 (Nicolls Road) and CR 83 (North Ocean Avenue)[1][2]
- School district
- Middle Country Central School District (Centereach High School)[4]
- Census geography
- Centereach CDP · GEOID 3613376 · GNIS 2389296
- Coordinates
- 40.8681°N, 73.0821°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 Centereach, 2010–2024
From January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2024, 27 people died in 24 crashes on public roads inside Centereach, according to the federal Fatality Analysis Reporting System.[A] Pedestrians account for 5 of those deaths (19%). The deadliest year was 2021, with 5 deaths.
- Fatal crashes
- 24
- People killed
- 27
- Pedestrians
- 5
- Bicyclists
- 1
- Motorcyclists
- 4
- Vehicle occupants
- 17
2024 figures come from NHTSA's Annual Report File and may be revised.
View the chart as a table
| Year | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2 | 4 |
| 2011 | 2 | 3 |
| 2012 | 2 | 2 |
| 2013 | 1 | 1 |
| 2014 | 3 | 3 |
| 2015 | 2 | 2 |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 | 2 |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | 5 | 5 |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | 2 | 2 |
Roads where people died
| Road | Crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Middle Country Road (NY 25) | 12 | 13 |
| N Washington Ave | 2 | 2 |
| Oxhead Rd | 2 | 2 |
| Mark Tree Rd | 2 | 2 |
| Bowdoin Rd | 1 | 2 |
| Veterans Memorial Highway (NY 454) | 1 | 2 |
| Hawkins Rd | 1 | 1 |
| Nicolls Road (CR 97) | 1 | 1 |
Road names as recorded by police and normalised to common Long Island names.
When and where
- Of the 24 crashes with a recorded time, 12 happened between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., 8 between 4 and 8 p.m., 3 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and 1 between 6 and 10 a.m.
- 63% happened in darkness.
- 0 of the 27 deaths were on expressways or parkways; 27 were on arterials and local streets.
- 3 crashes killed more than one person.
- In at least 2 crashes, 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 14 fatal crashes in Centereach since then:
- State highways 7 (50%)
- Town roads 4 (29%)
- City or village streets 2 (14%)
- County roads 1 (7%)
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: 5.8 traffic deaths per 100,000 residents per year, against 9.1 for Suffolk 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.
The 15 most recent fatal crashes
| Date | Time | Road | Deaths | Who died | Light |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| * | 3 p.m. | N Washington Ave at Manhattan Ave | 1 | Vehicle occupant | daylight |
| * | 9 p.m. | Middle Country Road (NY 25) | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dark |
| 5 p.m. | Middle Country Road (NY 25) | 1 | Vehicle occupant | daylight | |
| 10 p.m. | Hawkins Rd | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dark | |
| 10 p.m. | Middle Country Road (NY 25) at Wood Rd | 1 | Pedestrian | dark | |
| 12 p.m. | Oxhead Rd | 1 | Vehicle occupant | daylight | |
| 5 p.m. | Oxhead Rd | 1 | Motorcyclist | daylight | |
| 5 p.m. | Middle Country Road (NY 25) at Nicolls Road (CR 97) | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dark | |
| 6 p.m. | Middle Country Road (NY 25) | 1 | Pedestrian | dark | |
| 8 p.m. | Middle Country Road (NY 25) at Eastwood Blvd | 1 | Motorcyclist | dark | |
| 9 p.m. | N Washington Ave at Gould Rd | 1 | Motorcyclist | dark | |
| 8 p.m. | Mark Tree Rd | 1 | Pedestrian | dark | |
| 9 p.m. | Nicolls Road (CR 97) at Hammond Rd | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dark | |
| 10 a.m. | Middle Country Road (NY 25) at Dawn Dr | 1 | Vehicle occupant | daylight | |
| 8 a.m. | Mark Tree Rd | 1 | Vehicle occupant | daylight |
FARS contains no names or personal identifiers. * 2024 records are preliminary. Download all 24 records (CSV) · How this was compiled
Recent Centereach Incident Reports
Centereach Coin Store at Center of Gold-Buying Internet Scam, Suffolk Detectives Intervene
Centereach Coin Store at Center of Gold-Buying Internet Scam, Suffolk Detectives. Suffolk County. August 12, 2026.
Motorcyclist, 42, of Port Jefferson Station Killed in Centereach Crash
A 42-year-old Port Jefferson Station resident was killed in a motorcycle crash in Centereach. Suffolk County. August 1, 2026.
Motorcyclist, 25, of Shirley Killed After Running Red Light on Middle Country Road in Centereach
Motorcyclist, 25, of Shirley Killed After Running Red Light on Middle Country Road in Centereach. July 3, 2026.
Highland Mills Man Arrested for Tech-Support Scam Targeting Centereach Victim
Highland Mills Man Arrested for Tech-Support Scam Targeting Centereach Victim. Suffolk County. June 23, 2026.
Centereach Man Indicted on Multiple Felonies for DWI Crash Into DOT Worker
Centereach Man Indicted on Multiple Felonies for DWI Crash Into DOT Worker. April 22, 2026.
Centereach Man Indicted After Striking DOT Worker in DWI Crash on LIE
Centereach Man Indicted After Striking DOT Worker in DWI Crash on LIE. April 22, 2026.
Updated continuously from 511NY, NYSP, NCPD, and SCPD feeds — all Long Island reports.
All reported crashes in the Town of Brookhaven, 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 Centereach is for the Town of Brookhaven, which contains it. Police reported 44,155 crashes there from 2021 through 2024 — about 30.2 a day. 11,428 (25.9%) injured someone and 172 were fatal. [D]
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10,663 | 10,234 | 11,739 | 11,519 | 44,155 |
- Injury crashes
- 11,428
- Fatal crashes
- 172
- Struck a pedestrian
- 445
- Struck a bicyclist
- 390
- Struck a deer
- 599
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 Centereach gets to work
Centereach commuters travel an average of 31.9 minutes each way, 0.8 minutes longer than the Suffolk County average (the national average is 26.4 minutes). About 76.7% of workers drive alone. [B]
| Measure | Centereach | Suffolk County | New York State | United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average one-way commute | 31.9 min ±3.6 | 31.1 min | 32.6 min | 26.4 min |
| Commute 60 minutes or longer | 17.8% ±2.8 | 14.1% | 16.8% | 8.6% |
| Commute under 15 minutes | 20.8% ±2.6 | 22.8% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Drive alone | 76.7% ±3.5 | 72.1% | 48.8% | 68.8% |
| Carpool | 8.7% ±1.5 | 7.5% | 6.3% | 8.5% |
| Commuter rail (LIRR) | 0.9% ±0.4 | 3.2% | 1.8% | 0.3% |
| Bus | 0.1% ±0.1 † | 0.6% | 5.1% | 1.5% |
| Walk | 0.3% ±0.2 † | 1.4% | 5.6% | 2.4% |
| Work from home | 11.4% ±1.8 | 12% | 14.9% | 15.1% |
| Leave home before 6 a.m. | 15.1% ±3.1 | 12% | 10.6% | 14.4% |
| Households with no vehicle | 3.5% ±1.4 | 5.1% | 29.2% | 8.4% |
| Households with three or more vehicles | 33.8% ±4.2 | 28.8% | 11.8% | 21.9% |
Survey estimates for 15,461 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 Centereach
How the roads got here
Centereach sits at the crossing of the hamlet's two main arteries, and that crossing has an official name: New York State's list of commemorative bridge designations records that the "CR 97/Nicolls Road: crosses NY 25/Middle Country Road at Centereach" overpass is the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge.[1] Nicolls Road is a Suffolk County road, County Road 97, running from Montauk Highway to NY 25A;[2] Middle Country Road is the state's NY 25.[1] North Ocean Avenue, which also passes through the hamlet, is likewise a county road, CR 83 ("North Ocean Avenue / Patchogue Mt. Sinai Road"), not a New York State route.[2]
Government, courts and policing
Policing is provided by the Suffolk County Police Department's 6th Precinct, headquartered nearby in Selden, which "protects and serves several hamlets and incorporated villages within the Town of Brookhaven (North)."[7] As in the rest of the Town, Brookhaven cannot be sued over a road or sidewalk defect without prior written notice under Town of Brookhaven Code Chapter 84.[8] More serious criminal and civil matters go to the Suffolk County court complex at 400 Carleton Avenue in Central Islip.[6]
Landmarks and listed places
- Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge — State-commemorated highway bridge carrying County Road 97 (Nicolls Road) over NY 25 (Middle Country Road)[1]
Major roads in Centereach
| Road | Route | Maintained by | In Centereach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Country Road [1] | NY 25 | New York State | runs through the hamlet |
| Nicolls Road [1][2] | Suffolk CR 97 | Suffolk County | crosses NY 25 at Centereach (Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge) |
| North Ocean Avenue [2] | Suffolk CR 83 | Suffolk County | runs through the hamlet |
Emergency Resources
Hospitals
- Stony Brook University Medical Center — 101 Nicolls Rd, Stony Brook, NY 11794 — (631) 444-4000 (Level I adult and Level I pediatric trauma center on the state Health Department's list.)
- NYU Langone Hospital—Suffolk — 101 Hospital Road, East Patchogue, NY 11772 — (631) 654-7100 (Level II adult trauma center; formerly Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center / Long Island Community Hospital at the same address and phone number.)
- Mather Hospital (Northwell Health) — 75 North Country Road, Port Jefferson, NY 11777 — (631) 473-1320
Police
- Suffolk County Police Department, 6th Precinct — 400 Middle Country Road, Selden, NY 11784 — (631) 854-8600 (Patrols north-central Brookhaven, including Centereach. Emergencies: 911.)
Courts
- Suffolk County court complex / 10th Judicial District, Suffolk County administration — 400 Carleton Avenue, Central Islip, NY 11722 — (631) 208-5600 (Seat of the county's District, County, Family and Supreme Courts.)
Local Driver Services in Centereach
Practical resources for Centereach drivers — tire shops, gas prices, and live traffic conditions.
Safety Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do after a car accident in Centereach, NY?
Move to safety and call 911 immediately, then document the scene with photos and exchange insurance and contact information with everyone involved. File a police report with SCPD and notify your insurer promptly. New York is a no-fault state, so your own PIP coverage pays initial medical costs regardless of fault, and you have just 30 days to file the NF-2 application.
Which roads are most dangerous in Centereach?
Middle Country Road and Nicolls Road carry the heaviest traffic through Centereach and account for most of the reported crashes we track. Middle Country Road at Nicolls Road — heavy commuter and university traffic with frequent rear-end crashes. Commercial driveways, signalized intersections, and turning movements along these corridors drive the local crash mix.
How current are these Centereach accident reports?
Long Island Traffic adds new reports every 2–4 hours from 511NY, NYS Police Troop L, SCPD, and verified local news. Scroll up for the latest Centereach and Suffolk County incidents, and check the "Dangerous Roads" section for corridor-level breakdowns.
Do I need a lawyer after a Centereach accident?
If you suffered serious injuries, significant property damage, or the other driver was uninsured, consulting a Suffolk County personal injury attorney is strongly recommended. Many firms offer free consultations and work on contingency. See our free guides at /know-your-rights/car-accidents/ and /know-your-rights/insurance-claims/.
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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] 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 — Commemorative/Memorial Bridges (2017). Government record.
- [2] Suffolk County Department of Public Works. Suffolk County Roads List (n.d.). Government record.
- [4] Middle Country Central School District. Middle Country Central School District (home page) (2026). Government record.
- [5] New York State Department of Health. New York State Trauma Centers (n.d.). Government record.
- [6] New York State Unified Court System (nycourts.gov). 10th Judicial District — Suffolk (2026). Court decision.
- [7] Suffolk County Police Department. Sixth Precinct (2026). Government record.
- [8] General Code / Town of Brookhaven (ecode360). Code of the Town of Brookhaven — Table of Contents (2026). Government record.
Sources opened and checked September 17, 2026.