Sayville, NY — Crash Data, Roads, History & Law
Sayville is an unincorporated hamlet in the Town of Islip, Suffolk County, New York, with 16,569 residents at the 2020 Census. Federal crash records show 17 fatal crashes that killed 19 people within its boundaries from 2010 through 2024 — 7 of them on foot. Sunrise Highway (NY 27) accounted for more of those deaths (13) than any other road. Residents who commute travel an average of 29.1 minutes each way.
Long Island Town Fact Book · Updated · Sources & method
Sayville at a glance
- Status
- Hamlet (unincorporated; census-designated place)
- Town
- Islip
- County
- Suffolk County
- Population (2020 Census)
- 16,569[C]
- Housing units (2020)
- 6,228
- Land area
- 5.31 sq mi
- Density
- 3,119 people per sq mi
- Average commute
- 29.1 minutes[B]
- Traffic deaths, 2010–2024
- 19[A]
- ZIP Code
- 11782
- Legal status
- Unincorporated hamlet of the Town of Islip, Suffolk County; tabulated by the Census Bureau as Sayville CDP, separate from the adjoining West Sayville CDP[23]
- Police
- Suffolk County Police, Fifth Precinct (Patchogue) by elimination — see government section[14][15]
- Prior written notice law
- Code of the Town of Islip § 47A-3[11]
- Ferries
- Sayville Ferry Service, River Road, Sayville, to Cherry Grove, Fire Island Pines, Water Island and Sailors Haven/Sunken Forest[6][8]
- School district
- Sayville Union Free School District[22]
- Main roads
- NY 27 (Sunrise Highway) runs the South Shore corridor near Sayville; Montauk Highway through Sayville itself carries no state route number (NY 27A ends west of Sayville at the Oakdale Exit)[17][18]
- Census geography
- Sayville CDP · GEOID 3665409 · GNIS 2390258
- Coordinates
- 40.7476°N, 73.0852°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 Sayville, 2010–2024
From January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2024, 19 people died in 17 crashes on public roads inside Sayville, according to the federal Fatality Analysis Reporting System.[A] Pedestrians account for 7 of those deaths (37%). The deadliest year was 2021, with 5 deaths.
- Fatal crashes
- 17
- People killed
- 19
- Pedestrians
- 7
- 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 | 2 | 2 |
| 2011 | 2 | 2 |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 2 | 2 |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 |
| 2015 | 2 | 2 |
| 2016 | 1 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 3 | 5 |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 |
| 2023 | 2 | 2 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 |
Roads where people died
| Road | Crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrise Highway (NY 27) | 11 | 13 |
| Montauk Highway (NY 27A / CR 80 / CR 85) | 2 | 2 |
| Lakeland Ave | 2 | 2 |
| County Route 55 | 1 | 1 |
| 220 N Main St | 1 | 1 |
Road names as recorded by police and normalised to common Long Island names.
When and where
- Of the 17 crashes with a recorded time, 12 happened between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., 1 between 4 and 8 p.m., 3 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and 1 between 6 and 10 a.m.
- 77% happened in darkness.
- 0 of the 19 deaths were on expressways or parkways; 19 were on arterials and local streets.
- 2 crashes killed more than one person.
- In at least 4 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 Sayville since then:
- State highways 8 (80%)
- County roads 2 (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: 7.6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 a.m. | Montauk Highway (NY 27A / CR 80 / CR 85) | 1 | Vehicle occupant | daylight | |
| 4 a.m. | Sunrise Highway (NY 27) | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dark | |
| 12 a.m. | Sunrise Highway (NY 27) | 1 | Pedestrian | dark | |
| 12 a.m. | Sunrise Highway (NY 27) | 2 | Pedestrian, Vehicle occupant | dark | |
| 2 a.m. | Sunrise Highway (NY 27) | 1 | Pedestrian | dark | |
| 8 p.m. | Sunrise Highway (NY 27) | 2 | Pedestrian, Motorcyclist | dark | |
| 5 a.m. | Sunrise Highway (NY 27) | 1 | Pedestrian | dark | |
| 5 a.m. | Sunrise Highway (NY 27) | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dark | |
| 8 p.m. | County Route 55 | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dark | |
| 10 a.m. | Sunrise Highway (NY 27) | 1 | Motorcyclist | daylight | |
| 2 a.m. | 220 N Main St | 1 | Motorcyclist | dark | |
| 10 p.m. | Sunrise Highway (NY 27) | 1 | Pedestrian | dark | |
| 5 p.m. | Sunrise Highway (NY 27) at Greene Ave | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dark | |
| 10 p.m. | Montauk Highway (NY 27A / CR 80 / CR 85) at South St | 1 | Motorcyclist | dark | |
| 2 p.m. | Lakeland Ave at Eastover Rd | 1 | Vehicle occupant | daylight |
FARS contains no names or personal identifiers. * 2024 records are preliminary. Download all 17 records (CSV) · How this was compiled
Recent Sayville Incident Reports
Rachel Frislid, 62, Found Dead at 26 Pearl Court in Sayville
Rachel Frislid, 62, Found Dead at 26 Pearl Court in Sayville. Suffolk County. September 4, 2026.
Christopher Carlson, 48, of Patchogue Charged With BWI After Boat Sinks in Great South Bay Off Sayville
Christopher Carlson, 48, of Patchogue Charged With BWI After Boat Sinks in Great. August 26, 2026.
Box Truck Hits Center Median Pole on Sunrise Highway, Sayville Crew Frees Trapped Occupant
West Sayville Woman Charged in Hit-and-Run That Seriously Injured Sayville Jogger
A 50-year-old West Sayville woman was charged in a hit-and-run that seriously injured a 60-year-old Sayville jogger on Brook Street. Suffolk police seized a 2021 Mazda CX-5 as evidence.
Sayville Jogger Seriously Hurt in Early-Morning Hit-and-Run on Brook Street
Sayville Jogger Seriously Hurt in Early-Morning Hit-and-Run on Brook Street. May 18, 2026.
Updated continuously from 511NY, NYSP, NCPD, and SCPD feeds — all Long Island reports.
All reported crashes in the Town of Islip, 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 Sayville is for the Town of Islip, which contains it. Police reported 35,004 crashes there from 2021 through 2024 — about 24 a day. 10,222 (29.2%) injured someone and 128 were fatal. [D]
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8,654 | 8,292 | 8,881 | 9,177 | 35,004 |
- Injury crashes
- 10,222
- Fatal crashes
- 128
- Struck a pedestrian
- 422
- Struck a bicyclist
- 335
- Struck a deer
- 91
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 Sayville gets to work
Sayville commuters travel an average of 29.1 minutes each way, 2 minutes shorter than the Suffolk County average (the national average is 26.4 minutes). About 75.8% of workers drive alone. [B]
| Measure | Sayville | Suffolk County | New York State | United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average one-way commute | 29.1 min ±4.1 | 31.1 min | 32.6 min | 26.4 min |
| Commute 60 minutes or longer | 9.8% ±2.7 | 14.1% | 16.8% | 8.6% |
| Commute under 15 minutes | 25.2% ±4 | 22.8% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Drive alone | 75.8% ±1 | 72.1% | 48.8% | 68.8% |
| Carpool | 3.7% ±1.5 | 7.5% | 6.3% | 8.5% |
| Commuter rail (LIRR) | 1.2% ±0.7 † | 3.2% | 1.8% | 0.3% |
| Bus | 0.2% ±0.2 † | 0.6% | 5.1% | 1.5% |
| Walk | 0.6% ±0.5 † | 1.4% | 5.6% | 2.4% |
| Work from home | 16.2% ±4.9 | 12% | 14.9% | 15.1% |
| Leave home before 6 a.m. | 11.4% ±2.3 | 12% | 10.6% | 14.4% |
| Households with no vehicle | 6.3% ±1.9 | 5.1% | 29.2% | 8.4% |
| Households with three or more vehicles | 24.5% ±3.5 | 28.8% | 11.8% | 21.9% |
Survey estimates for 7,892 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 Sayville
- Sayville's oldest documented building, the Edwards Homestead, was built around 1785 by Matthew Edwards, son of the hamlet's first English settlers.[5]
- The Sayville Historical Society was founded in 1944 by Clarissa Edwards, a descendant of the settler family, who left the society her home when she died in 1948.[4]
- Rail service reached Sayville in 1868, and the hamlet became a summer destination soon after.[2]
- Before today's ferry operator, the Stein Ferry Company carried Sayville passengers to Fire Island, choosing a landing based on which way the wind was blowing that day.[3]
- Sayville Ferry Service has run the Fire Island route since 1894.[7]
- A Sayville mortgage dispute became a foundational national bankruptcy precedent: the Second Circuit's 1982 decision in In re Taddeo held that Chapter 13 debtors can cure a defaulted mortgage and undo the lender's acceleration of the debt.[12]
- The Town of Islip can be sued over a defective road or sidewalk only if it had "prior written notice" of the specific defect under Code of the Town of Islip § 47A-3, as the Appellate Division reaffirmed in a 2019 Sayville-area case.[11]
History
Sayville is an unincorporated hamlet in the Town of Islip; the U.S. Census Bureau tabulates it separately, as Sayville CDP, from the adjoining West Sayville CDP immediately to its west.[23] A later descendant, Clarissa Edwards, "started the Sayville Historical Society in 1944 and bequeathed her home to the organization upon her death in 1948"; the Society's museum now occupies the homestead grounds.[4]
How the roads got here
State highway numbering does not reach Sayville's Main Street. The New York State Department of Transportation's own route description for NY 27A follows "Merrick Road and Montauk Highway to Babylon, Bay Shore, Islip, East Islip, Great River, Oakdale Exit (NY 27)" — meaning the state ends the 27A designation at Oakdale, immediately west of Sayville, where the route rejoins NY 27.[17] NY 27 itself, called Sunrise Highway on this stretch, runs along the South Shore corridor that NYSDOT's route description places at "Great River, North Patchogue" — the hamlets immediately west and east of Sayville — without naming Sayville itself.[18]
Law and legal history
Because Sayville is unincorporated, its public streets are Town of Islip property, and under New York's prior-written-notice doctrine the Town cannot be held liable for a road or sidewalk defect unless it had written notice of the specific condition beforehand. In Ortiz v. Town of Islip, decided August 28, 2019, the Appellate Division, Second Department, held that a town moving for summary judgment on that ground must "establish, prima facie, that no prior written notice of the alleged defective condition was given to either the Town Clerk or the Commissioner of Public Works," citing "Code of Town of Islip § 47A-3."[11] The Town lost that motion because its supporting witnesses did not establish that they had searched the Town Clerk's records as well as the Department of Public Works' records.[11]
And in a case that became a widely cited national bankruptcy precedent, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit opened its opinion by noting "Joseph C. and Ellen A. Taddeo live at 6 Ort Court, Sayville, New York," before holding, on July 20, 1982, that Chapter 13 debtors may cure a mortgage default and undo the lender's acceleration of the debt under 11 U.S.C. § 1322(b)(5).[12]
Cases of record
- Ortiz v. Town of Islip, 175 A.D.3d 699, 2019 NY Slip Op 06405 (2d Dept 2019)[11]
- New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department, 2019. Applies the Town of Islip's prior-written-notice code provision, which governs tort claims over defective town roads and sidewalks throughout unincorporated Islip, including Sayville.Affirmed denial of the Town's summary judgment motion because the Town failed to establish, prima facie, that neither the Town Clerk nor the Commissioner of Public Works had received prior written notice of the pothole under Code of Town of Islip § 47A-3.
- In re Taddeo (Di Pierro v. Taddeo), 685 F.2d 24 (2d Cir. 1982)[12]
- United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 1982. The debtors, Joseph C. and Ellen A. Taddeo, lived at 6 Ort Court, Sayville, New York, and filed Chapter 13 bankruptcy to stop foreclosure on that home.Held that a Chapter 13 debtor may cure a mortgage default and de-accelerate the lender's acceleration of the debt under 11 U.S.C. § 1322(b)(5), rejecting the mortgagee's argument that state law cure requirements controlled.
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
Sayville has no government of its own; Suffolk County Police patrol the hamlet rather than any town or village force. The Department's Third Precinct, based in Bay Shore, lists its coverage area as "Bay Shore, Baywood, Brentwood, Brightwaters, Islip, Central Islip, East Islip, West Islip, and Islip Terrace" — all west of Sayville.[15] The Fifth Precinct, based in Patchogue, describes its territory as "the southern portion of Brookhaven Town, the eastern portion of Islip Town, and the incorporated villages of Patchogue and Bellport."[14] Neither precinct page names Sayville specifically, but because it sits in eastern Islip Town, east of the Third Precinct's listed hamlets and adjoining the Village of Patchogue, it falls within the Fifth Precinct's territory by elimination.[14][15]
The Town of Islip's own online department directory lists a "Public Safety Enforcement" office and a separate parking-violations function but no distinct justice or town court department by name.[21]
Railroad and ferries
The Sayville Historical Society dates the hamlet's rail connection precisely: "The railroad came to Sayville in 1868 and the town became a summer destination."[2] Before Sayville's present-day ferry operator, "The Stein Ferry Company sailed people to Fire Island to enjoy the ocean surf; their destination often determined by the breezes that day," according to the Historical Society.[3] The hamlet's ferry terminal on River Road is now home to Sayville Ferry Service, whose own site states "The Sayville Ferry began the Fire Island run in 1894."[7] Today "Fire Island's central communities of Cherry Grove, Fire Island Pines, Water Island and Sailors Haven/Sunken Forest, a Fire Island National Seashore Park, are served by the Sayville Ferry, which is located on River Road in the South Shore hamlet of Sayville."[6]
Landmarks and listed places
- Edwards Homestead (Sayville Historical Society)[5]
Sayville timeline
- Edwards family settles. John Edwards brought his family to Sayville and bought land from the Nichol Patent.[1]
- Edwards Homestead built. Matthew Edwards, son of the original settlers, built the farmhouse now known as the Edwards Homestead.[5]
- Railroad arrives. Rail service reached Sayville and the hamlet became a summer destination.[2]
- Ferry service begins. The Sayville Ferry began its Fire Island run.[7]
- Historical Society founded. Clarissa Edwards started the Sayville Historical Society and later left it her home.[4]
- In re Taddeo decided. The Second Circuit held that Chapter 13 debtors may cure a mortgage default and de-accelerate the debt, in a case naming a Sayville home.[12]
- Ortiz v. Town of Islip decided. The Appellate Division, Second Department, applied the Town of Islip's prior-written-notice code section against a summary-judgment motion.[11]
Major roads in Sayville
| Road | Route | Maintained by | In Sayville |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrise Highway [18] | NY 27 | New York State | runs along the South Shore corridor near Sayville (NYSDOT's route description names the adjoining hamlets of Great River and North Patchogue, not Sayville itself) |
| Montauk Highway (within Sayville) [17] | no state route number — NY 27A ends at the Oakdale Exit, immediately west of Sayville | — | runs through |
Emergency Resources
Hospitals
- South Shore University Hospital (Northwell Health) — 301 East Main Street, Bay Shore, NY 11706 — (631) 968-3000 (Level 1 trauma center per the hospital's own site; west of Sayville.)
- NYU Langone Hospital—Suffolk — 101 Hospital Road, Patchogue, NY 11772 — (631) 654-7100 (Provisional Level 2 trauma center verified by the American College of Surgeons, per the hospital's own site; in Patchogue, adjoining Sayville to the east. Formerly Long Island Community Hospital/Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center; the domain licommunityhospital.org now redirects to this NYU Langone site.)
Police
- Suffolk County Police Department, Fifth Precinct — (631) 854-8573
Local Driver Services in Sayville
Practical resources for Sayville drivers — tire shops, gas prices, and live traffic conditions.
Safety Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do after a car accident in Sayville, 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 Sayville?
Montauk Highway and Sunrise Highway carry the heaviest traffic through Sayville and account for most of the reported crashes we track. Montauk Highway through downtown Sayville, with heavy pedestrian activity and on-street parking. Commercial driveways, signalized intersections, and turning movements along these corridors drive the local crash mix.
How current are these Sayville 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 Sayville and Suffolk County incidents, and check the "Dangerous Roads" section for corridor-level breakdowns.
Do I need a lawyer after a Sayville 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] Sayville Historical Society. About Sayville, NY (n.d.). Historical society.
- [2] Sayville Historical Society. About Sayville, NY (n.d.). Historical society.
- [3] Sayville Historical Society. About Sayville, NY (n.d.). Historical society.
- [4] Sayville Historical Society. About Sayville, NY (n.d.). Historical society.
- [5] Sayville Historical Society. Sayville Historical Society (home page) (2026). Historical society.
- [6] Sayville Ferry Service. Sayville Ferry Service (home page) (2026). Institution.
- [7] Sayville Ferry Service. Sayville Ferry Service (home page) (2026). Institution.
- [8] Sayville Ferry Service. Contact (2026). Institution.
- [11] New York State Law Reporting Bureau (nycourts.gov). Ortiz v Town of Islip, 175 AD3d 699, 2019 NY Slip Op 06405 (2d Dept Aug. 28, 2019) (2019). Court decision.
- [12] Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School Library. In re Joseph C. Taddeo and Ellen A. Taddeo, Debtors; Elfriede Di Pierro v. Joseph C. Taddeo and Ellen A. Taddeo and Richard J. McCord, Interim Trustee, 685 F.2d 24 (2d Cir. 1982) (1982). Court decision.
- [14] Suffolk County Police Department. Fifth Precinct (2026). Government record.
- [15] Suffolk County Police Department. Third Precinct (2026). Government record.
- [17] 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.
- [18] 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.
- [19] Northwell Health. South Shore University Hospital (2026). Institution.
- [20] NYU Langone Health. NYU Langone Hospital—Suffolk (2026). Institution.
- [21] Town of Islip. Islip, NY | Official Website (Departments navigation) (2026). Government record.
- [22] Sayville Union Free School District. Sayville Union Free School District (home page) (2026). Government record.
- [23] 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.