Elwood, NY — Crash Data, Roads, History & Law
Elwood is an unincorporated hamlet in the Town of Huntington, Suffolk County, New York, with 11,426 residents at the 2020 Census. Federal crash records show 13 fatal crashes that killed 15 people within its boundaries from 2010 through 2024 — 3 of them on foot. Jericho Turnpike (NY 25) accounted for more of those deaths (8) than any other road. Residents who commute travel an average of 42.3 minutes each way.
Long Island Town Fact Book · Updated · Sources & method
Elwood at a glance
- Status
- Hamlet (unincorporated; census-designated place)
- Town
- Huntington
- County
- Suffolk County
- Population (2020 Census)
- 11,426[C]
- Housing units (2020)
- 3,846
- Land area
- 4.78 sq mi
- Density
- 2,390 people per sq mi
- Average commute
- 42.3 minutes[B]
- Traffic deaths, 2010–2024
- 15[A]
- ZIP Code
- 11731
- Founded / settled
- No settlement date is established. The name dates to the renaming of a North Dix Hills post office as "Elwood" in 1870, and by 1874 Richard M. Bayles's county history already described it as "a scattered settlement of farmers lately named Elwood."[6][3]
- Former names
- North Dix Hills (also called Upper Dix Hills)[6]
- Legal status
- Unincorporated hamlet of the Town of Huntington, Suffolk County; tabulated separately by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Elwood CDP[1][21]
- Name origin
- Unresolved; the Town Historian calls it "a mystery"[7]
- Former name
- North/Upper Dix Hills, until the area's post office was renamed Elwood in 1870[6]
- Police
- Suffolk County Police Department, 2nd Precinct, 1071 Park Ave, Huntington, NY 11743, (631) 854-8200[15][16]
- Nearest hospital
- Huntington Hospital (Northwell Health), 270 Park Avenue, Huntington, NY 11743, (631) 351-2000; Level III adult trauma center[17][18]
- School district
- Elwood Union Free School District, whose high school is John H. Glenn High School[8][11]
- Civic association
- Elwood Civic Association, founded 1945 as the Elwood Taxpayers Association; renamed June 2019[10]
- Census geography
- Elwood CDP · GEOID 3624405 · GNIS 2389039
- Coordinates
- 40.8462°N, 73.3389°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.
Name:Unresolved. The Town Historian describes the origin as "a mystery": a 1974 guess in The Long-Islander that the hamlet was named for landowner Elkanah Wood does not hold up, because no Wood landholding appears on an 1873 atlas of the area and Elkanah Wood himself was not born until 1871, a year after the Elwood post office had already opened.[7]
Fatal crashes in Elwood, 2010–2024
From January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2024, 15 people died in 13 crashes on public roads inside Elwood, according to the federal Fatality Analysis Reporting System.[A] Pedestrians account for 3 of those deaths (20%). The deadliest year was 2022, with 5 deaths.
- Fatal crashes
- 13
- People killed
- 15
- Pedestrians
- 3
- Bicyclists
- 0
- Motorcyclists
- 4
- Vehicle occupants
- 8
2024 figures come from NHTSA's Annual Report File and may be revised.
View the chart as a table
| Year | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1 | 1 |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | 2 | 2 |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 | 2 |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 2 | 2 |
| 2022 | 4 | 5 |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 |
Roads where people died
| Road | Crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Jericho Turnpike (NY 25) | 8 | 8 |
| Cuba Hill Rd | 1 | 2 |
| Larkfield Rd | 1 | 2 |
| Commack Rd | 1 | 1 |
| Manor Rd | 1 | 1 |
Road names as recorded by police and normalised to common Long Island names.
When and where
- Of the 13 crashes with a recorded time, 5 happened between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., 3 between 4 and 8 p.m., 4 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and 1 between 6 and 10 a.m.
- 39% happened in darkness.
- 0 of the 15 deaths were on expressways or parkways; 15 were on arterials and local streets.
- 2 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 10 fatal crashes in Elwood since then:
- State highways 6 (60%)
- Town roads 3 (30%)
- Trafficway Not in State Inventory 1 (10%)
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: 8.8 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.
Every fatal crash on record
| Date | Time | Road | Deaths | Who died | Light |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| * | 3 p.m. | Jericho Turnpike (NY 25) | 1 | Motorcyclist | daylight |
| 12 a.m. | Jericho Turnpike (NY 25) | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dark | |
| 10 a.m. | Not recorded | 1 | Pedestrian | daylight | |
| 9 p.m. | Jericho Turnpike (NY 25) | 1 | Motorcyclist | dark | |
| 4 a.m. | Jericho Turnpike (NY 25) | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dark | |
| 12 p.m. | Cuba Hill Rd | 2 | 2 vehicle occupants | daylight | |
| 9 p.m. | Jericho Turnpike (NY 25) | 1 | Motorcyclist | dark | |
| 4 p.m. | Jericho Turnpike (NY 25) at Warner Rd | 1 | Vehicle occupant | daylight | |
| 9 p.m. | Commack Rd | 1 | Pedestrian | dark | |
| 5 p.m. | Larkfield Rd at Wicks Rd | 2 | 2 vehicle occupants | daylight | |
| 1 p.m. | Jericho Turnpike (NY 25) at Warner Rd | 1 | Vehicle occupant | daylight | |
| 6 p.m. | Jericho Turnpike (NY 25) at Park Ave | 1 | Motorcyclist | daylight | |
| 6 a.m. | Manor Rd | 1 | Pedestrian | daylight |
FARS contains no names or personal identifiers. * 2024 records are preliminary. Download all 13 records (CSV) · How this was compiled
Recent Elwood Incident Reports
Wesley Sitar, 45, of Nesconset Arrested for DWI and Weapon Charges After Elwood Crash
Nesconset Driver Arrested for DWI, Weapon Charges After Elwood Crash. May 12, 2026.
Nesconset man faces DWI and weapon charges following early morning crash in Elwood
Updated continuously from 511NY, NYSP, NCPD, and SCPD feeds — all Long Island reports.
All reported crashes in the Town of Huntington, 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 Elwood is for the Town of Huntington, which contains it. Police reported 19,356 crashes there from 2021 through 2024 — about 13.2 a day. 5,246 (27.1%) injured someone and 50 were fatal. [D]
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,760 | 4,567 | 5,042 | 4,987 | 19,356 |
- Injury crashes
- 5,246
- Fatal crashes
- 50
- Struck a pedestrian
- 187
- Struck a bicyclist
- 117
- Struck a deer
- 136
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 Elwood gets to work
Elwood commuters travel an average of 42.3 minutes each way, 11.2 minutes longer than the Suffolk County average (the national average is 26.4 minutes). About 60.9% of workers drive alone, and 7.8% ride the railroad. [B]
| Measure | Elwood | Suffolk County | New York State | United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average one-way commute | 42.3 min ±10.8 | 31.1 min | 32.6 min | 26.4 min |
| Commute 60 minutes or longer | 24.7% ±4.2 | 14.1% | 16.8% | 8.6% |
| Commute under 15 minutes | 13.5% ±3.1 | 22.8% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Drive alone | 60.9% ±10.2 | 72.1% | 48.8% | 68.8% |
| Carpool | 6.5% ±3.1 | 7.5% | 6.3% | 8.5% |
| Commuter rail (LIRR) | 7.8% ±3.1 | 3.2% | 1.8% | 0.3% |
| Bus | 0% ±0.3 † | 0.6% | 5.1% | 1.5% |
| Walk | 0.5% ±0.7 † | 1.4% | 5.6% | 2.4% |
| Work from home | 21.5% ±5.1 | 12% | 14.9% | 15.1% |
| Leave home before 6 a.m. | 11.2% ±3.4 | 12% | 10.6% | 14.4% |
| Households with no vehicle | 3.3% ±1.5 | 5.1% | 29.2% | 8.4% |
| Households with three or more vehicles | 34.2% ±9.4 | 28.8% | 11.8% | 21.9% |
Survey estimates for 6,441 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 Elwood
- A Huntington-area woman's 1870 letter announcing her engagement carried a postscript about her hometown's new name: "They have changed the name of Dix Hills. The name is Elwood now."[5]
- Elwood's post office operated under that name from June 7, 1870 until it was discontinued on October 31, 1902.[6]
- A long-told story that Elwood was named for landowner Elkanah Wood is undercut by the fact that he "wasn't born until 1871, a year after the post office was established."[7]
- In 1874, Elwood was described as "a scattered settlement of farmers," two miles square, with about thirty houses, a school, a Methodist church, and a steam grist-mill that had already failed "for want of support."[4]
- Elwood Road, the hamlet's main street, is Suffolk County Road 10; Pulaski Road, on its north side, is County Road 11 -- both are county, not town or state, highways.[12][13]
- The Elwood Civic Association, founded in 1945, is described in its own account as the longest continuously active civic organization in Town of Huntington history; it dropped "Taxpayers" from its name only in June 2019.[10]
- Since 2002, Huntington's town code has barred lawsuits over a defective road or sidewalk unless the Town received actual prior written notice of the exact defect first -- "constructive notice shall not be applicable or valid."[19]
History
Elwood is an unincorporated hamlet in the Town of Huntington, Suffolk County; the Town's own description of its government lists it among "several prominent unincorporated areas" alongside Cold Spring Harbor, Huntington Station and Greenlawn.[1] The Town of Huntington itself was "originally settled in 1653."[2] The U.S. Census Bureau tabulates the hamlet separately as the Elwood census-designated place.[21]
By 1874, Richard M. Bayles's county history placed the hamlet a short distance from a smaller vicinity called Cuba: "a mile and a half further still and bearing a little eastward is a scattered settlement of farmers lately named Elwood."[3] Bayles fixed its extent at "two miles square," occupied by about thirty dwellings, with a school and a Methodist church inside its limits, and noted that a steam grist-mill built there "a few years ago" had already been removed "for want of support."[4] Cuba Hill Road, which meets Elwood Road in the hamlet today, still carries the name of that neighboring vicinity.[3]
How the hamlet came to be called Elwood is unresolved. A local woman's letter announcing her 1870 engagement recorded the change in a postscript: "They have changed the name of Dix Hills. The name is Elwood now."[5] A post office under the name Elwood duly opened in North Dix Hills on June 7, 1870, and a notice in the February 10, 1871 Long-Islander reported that the older, separate Dix Hills post office was being discontinued with its mail transferred to Elwood's; the Elwood office itself operated until October 31, 1902.[6] The Town Historian, who has researched Huntington's history for thirty years, calls the source of the name "a mystery": a 1974 guess in The Long-Islander that it honored landowner Elkanah Wood is undercut because "there was indeed an Elkanah Wood, he wasn't born until 1871, a year after the post office was established," and no Wood landholding appears on an 1873 atlas of the area.[7]
Elwood's first school was "a wooden structure with one room, built in 1869," where students fetched water from a nearby pond and tended the stove for heat, according to a history maintained through the Elwood Union Free School District's own website; a larger hilltop schoolhouse replaced it in 1904-1915, and indoor plumbing was not added until 1932.[9] The district, whose high school is John H. Glenn High School, today describes Elwood as "a distinguished Long Island hamlet affectionately known as the 'Heart of Huntington.'"[8]
The Elwood Taxpayers Association, founded in 1945, became, in a 2019 newspaper account, "the longest active civic organization in Huntington Town history"; it operated under that name for more than sixty years before dropping "Taxpayers" in June 2019 to become the Elwood Civic Association.[10] Its officers describe the school district as the hamlet's unifying institution, noting that Elwood is "comprised of three ZIP codes, two fire districts, two legislative districts," and that the group had partnered with John Glenn High School to fund a community-service scholarship.[11]
How the roads got here
Suffolk County's official road inventory lists Elwood Road, the hamlet's principal street, as County Road 10, running from "NYS RT 25, Jericho Tpke to NYS RT 25A, Fort Salonga Rd" — meaning the road that gives the hamlet its name is a county highway for its entire length, not a state or town road.[12] The same inventory lists Pulaski Road, which crosses the hamlet's north side, as County Road 11, from "NYS RT 108, Harbor Rd to NYS RT 25A, Main St."[13]
Government, courts and policing
Elwood has no government of its own. Policing is provided by the Suffolk County Police Department's 2nd Precinct, headquartered at "1071 Park Ave, Huntington" ((631) 854-8200), whose command states that it "proudly serves the residents of the Town of Huntington," which includes Elwood.[15][16] The nearest hospital is Huntington Hospital, part of Northwell Health, at "270 Park Avenue Huntington, NY 11743" ((631) 351-2000); the New York State Department of Health lists it as a Level III adult trauma center.[17][18]
Since October 15, 2002, Chapter 174 of the Huntington Town Code has barred civil suits against the Town over a defective highway, street, sidewalk or crosswalk unless the Town Clerk or the Superintendent of Highways first received actual written notice of the specific defect; the law is written to be "requiring prior written notice of a defect and/or obstruction for a street, sidewalk and crosswalk," and it states plainly that "constructive notice shall not be applicable or valid."[19] A 2011 amendment added an exception freeing the Town from liability for highway defects between November 15 and May 1 regardless of notice.[19] Elsewhere in the code, "sidewalk maintenance and repair are the responsibility of the adjoining property owner pursuant to Town Code Chapter 173."[20]
Landmarks and listed places
- Elwood's "Little Red Schoolhouse" (built 1869) — No state or national register listing verified; preserved as a district-linked local history site[9]
Elwood timeline
- Huntington settled. The Town of Huntington, in which Elwood lies, was "originally settled in 1653."[2]
- First schoolhouse built. Elwood's first school was "a wooden structure with one room, built in 1869."[9]
- Name change announced. A Huntington-area resident's letter recorded the change in a postscript: "They have changed the name of Dix Hills. The name is Elwood now."[5]
- Elwood post office opens. A post office was established in North Dix Hills under the name Elwood.[6]
- Dix Hills post office folded in. The Long-Islander reported that the Postmaster General had ordered the separate Dix Hills post office discontinued, with its mail transferred to the Elwood post office.[6]
- Post office closes. The Elwood post office was discontinued.[6]
- New hilltop schoolhouse. A larger schoolhouse on a hilltop site replaced the 1869 building; construction and the move are dated 1904-1915 by the district's own history.[9]
- Schoolhouse plumbing added. Indoor plumbing was added to the Elwood schoolhouse, which had used outhouses until then.[9]
- Civic association founded. The Elwood Taxpayers Association (later the Elwood Civic Association) was founded; it became, in its own account, the longest continuously active civic organization in Town of Huntington history.[10]
- Prior written notice law adopted. The Huntington Town Board adopted Chapter 174 of the town code, requiring prior written notice of highway, street, sidewalk and crosswalk defects before the Town can be sued over them.[19]
- Winter exception added. A local law amended Chapter 174 to exempt the Town from liability for highway defects between November 15 and May 1, regardless of notice.[19]
- Civic group renamed. The Elwood Taxpayers Association dropped "Taxpayers" from its name, becoming the Elwood Civic Association.[10]
Major roads in Elwood
| Road | Route | Maintained by | In Elwood |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jericho Turnpike [12] | NY 25 | New York State | runs along the hamlet's southern edge; Elwood Road meets it there |
| Elwood Road [12] | County Road 10 (CR 10) | Suffolk County | runs through the hamlet as its principal north-south street, from NY 25 to NY 25A |
| Pulaski Road [13] | County Road 11 (CR 11) | Suffolk County | crosses the hamlet's north side, carrying east-west traffic toward Greenlawn and Northport |
| Manor Road [12] | local road; no state or county route number found | — | local connector toward Huntington Station |
Emergency Resources
Hospitals
- Huntington Hospital (Northwell Health) — 270 Park Avenue, Huntington, NY 11743 — (631) 351-2000 (Nearest hospital; Level III adult trauma center per the NYS Department of Health trauma-center list.)
Police
- Suffolk County Police Department, 2nd Precinct — 1071 Park Ave, Huntington, NY 11743 — (631) 854-8200 (Serves the entire Town of Huntington, including Elwood. Emergencies: 911.)
Local Driver Services in Elwood
Practical resources for Elwood drivers — tire shops, gas prices, and live traffic conditions.
Safety Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do after a car accident in Elwood, 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 Elwood?
Jericho Turnpike and Elwood Road carry the heaviest traffic through Elwood and account for most of the reported crashes we track. Jericho Turnpike at Elwood Road — a busy signalized commercial junction. Commercial driveways, signalized intersections, and turning movements along these corridors drive the local crash mix.
How current are these Elwood 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 Elwood and Suffolk County incidents, and check the "Dangerous Roads" section for corridor-level breakdowns.
Do I need a lawyer after a Elwood 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] Town of Huntington. About Huntington (n.d.). Government record.
- [2] Town of Huntington. About Huntington (n.d.). Government record.
- [3] Richard M. Bayles / Internet Archive. Historical and Descriptive Sketches of Suffolk County, p. 166 (Town of Huntington chapter) (1874). Book.
- [4] Richard M. Bayles / Internet Archive. Historical and Descriptive Sketches of Suffolk County, p. 166 (Town of Huntington chapter) (1874). Book.
- [5] Huntington History (Robert C. Hughes, Town of Huntington Historian). By Any Other Name (2011). Reference work.
- [6] Huntington History (Robert C. Hughes, Town of Huntington Historian). By Any Other Name (2011). Reference work.
- [7] Huntington History (Robert C. Hughes, Town of Huntington Historian). By Any Other Name (2011). Reference work.
- [8] Elwood Union Free School District. About (2026). Government record.
- [9] The Elwood Schoolhouse (linked from the Elwood Union Free School District's own site as its 'Little Red Schoolhouse' history). Origins (2022). Reference work.
- [10] TBR News Media (Times of Huntington-Northport). Elwood Seeks to Reinvigorate Community Involvement (2019). News report.
- [11] TBR News Media (Times of Huntington-Northport). Elwood Seeks to Reinvigorate Community Involvement (2019). News report.
- [12] Suffolk County Department of Public Works. Suffolk County Roads List (n.d.). Government record.
- [13] Suffolk County Department of Public Works. Suffolk County Roads List (n.d.). Government record.
- [15] Suffolk County Police Department. Second Precinct (2026). Government record.
- [16] Suffolk County Police Department. Phone Directory (2026). Government record.
- [17] Northwell Health. Huntington Hospital (home page) (2026). Institution.
- [18] New York State Department of Health. New York State Trauma Centers (n.d.). Government record.
- [19] Town of Huntington / General Code (eCode360). Chapter 174: Liability of Town, Article I: Written Notice of Defects (2026). Government record.
- [20] Town of Huntington. Highway Department (2026). Government record.
- [21] U.S. Census Bureau. 2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Places, New York (2020_gaz_place_36.txt) (2020). Government record.
Sources opened and checked September 17, 2026.