Six-Vehicle Wreck Shuts Down Rte 21 in Clifton, NJ

Clifton, NJ (July 28, 2026) – A six-vehicle collision shut down Route 21 South near the Route 3 exit on Saturday morning, July 25, snarling traffic for hours.

The crash left one SUV flipped on its side and two sedans heavily damaged, including one with a crushed roof. A coupe sustained damage severe enough to make the vehicle difficult to identify, and a van suffered front-end damage.

Ten Clifton police vehicles, two fire engines, and three ambulances responded to the scene, along with several passersby who stopped to help. People were seen walking along the highway as emergency units worked to clear the area.

The full extent of injuries has not been disclosed. Northbound Route 21 slowed significantly, while southbound lanes backed up roughly half a mile as the closure continued.

The cause of the pileup remains under review. 

We hope everyone involved is safe and that traffic returns to normal soon.

Complex Liability Questions That Arise in Multiple Vehicles Crashes in Clifton, NJ

When multiple vehicles are involved in a single crash, sorting out who caused what becomes far more complicated than a typical two-car collision. 

New Jersey follows a modified comparative negligence rule, in which each driver's share of fault is calculated individually, and a driver can still recover damages as long as their own responsibility doesn't reach 51%. With multiple vehicles involved, that calculation can require piecing together multiple insurance policies, several drivers' accounts, and physical evidence from each point of impact to determine how responsibility should be divided.

When there’s physical damage, investigators will likely rely heavily on vehicle positioning, skid patterns, and any available dash camera or traffic footage to reconstruct the sequence of events. This kind of evidence tends to matter most in the days immediately following a crash, before it's lost or altered, which is why a car accident lawyer is commonly brought in early to help preserve records and identify every insurance policy that may apply across multiple vehicles.

Cases that involve many vehicles can take longer to resolve simply because more parties and insurers are involved. At Metro Law, we can help explain how New Jersey's fault-sharing rules might apply to your case and what options could be available for you. 

You can reach Metro Law at (800) 469-6476 to discuss your situation with our team and learn more.