Syosset, NY — Crash Data, Roads, History & Law
Syosset is an unincorporated hamlet in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, New York, with 19,259 residents at the 2020 Census. Federal crash records show 12 fatal crashes that killed 12 people within its boundaries from 2010 through 2024 — 3 of them on foot. Jericho Turnpike (NY 25) accounted for more of those deaths (4) than any other road. Residents who commute travel an average of 40.9 minutes each way.
Long Island Town Fact Book · Updated · Sources & method
Syosset at a glance
- Status
- Hamlet (unincorporated; census-designated place)
- Town
- Oyster Bay
- County
- Nassau County
- Population (2020 Census)
- 19,259[C]
- Housing units (2020)
- 6,293
- Land area
- 4.98 sq mi
- Density
- 3,871 people per sq mi
- Average commute
- 40.9 minutes[B]
- Traffic deaths, 2010–2024
- 12[A]
- ZIP Code
- 11791
- Founded / settled
- Within the Robert Williams Plantation purchase of 1648, which also underlies Hicksville, Jericho, Plainview and Woodbury[1]
- Legal status
- Unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place in the Town of Oyster Bay[1]
- LIRR arrival
- 1854, when the Hicksville & Cold Spring Branch Railroad built the line from Hicksville to Syosset; leased and later (1863) acquired by the LIRR[2]
- Police
- Nassau County Police Department, Second Precinct (Woodbury)[3]
- Syosset Landfill
- Town landfill closed 1975; placed on the EPA Superfund National Priorities List in 1983; capped 1997; delisted from the NPL in 2005[4]
- Cerro Wire site
- Former industrial/wire-manufacturing site removed from the state's Inactive Hazardous Waste Disposal Sites registry after remediation[4]
- Census geography
- Syosset CDP · GEOID 3672554 · GNIS 2390376
- Coordinates
- 40.8157°N, 73.5020°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 Syosset, 2010–2024
From January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2024, 12 people died in 12 crashes on public roads inside Syosset, according to the federal Fatality Analysis Reporting System.[A] Pedestrians account for 3 of those deaths (25%). The deadliest year was 2011, with 4 deaths.
- Fatal crashes
- 12
- People killed
- 12
- Pedestrians
- 3
- Bicyclists
- 0
- Motorcyclists
- 1
- 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 | 4 | 4 |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 | 2 |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 |
| 2023 | 2 | 2 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 |
Roads where people died
| Road | Crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Jericho Turnpike (NY 25) | 4 | 4 |
| Split Rock Rd | 2 | 2 |
| S Oysterbay Rd (CR 9) | 1 | 1 |
| Long Island Expressway (I-495) | 1 | 1 |
| Cold Spring Rd | 1 | 1 |
| Seaford–Oyster Bay Expressway (NY 135) | 1 | 1 |
| Northern State Parkway | 1 | 1 |
| S Oyster Bay Rd | 1 | 1 |
Road names as recorded by police and normalised to common Long Island names.
When and where
- Of the 12 crashes with a recorded time, 3 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 2 between 6 and 10 a.m.
- 25% happened in darkness.
- 3 of the 12 deaths were on expressways or parkways; 9 were on arterials and local streets.
Who owns the roads where they happened (2015–2024)
FARS has recorded the owner of the roadway since 2015. Of the 7 fatal crashes in Syosset since then:
- Town roads 3 (43%)
- State highways 3 (43%)
- County roads 1 (14%)
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: 4.2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 p.m. | Split Rock Rd at Monfort Pl | 1 | Vehicle occupant | daylight | |
| 7 a.m. | S Oysterbay Rd (CR 9) | 1 | Motorcyclist | daylight | |
| 2 a.m. | Long Island Expressway (I-495) | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dark | |
| 7 p.m. | Cold Spring Rd | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dusk | |
| 7 a.m. | Seaford–Oyster Bay Expressway (NY 135) | 1 | Pedestrian | daylight | |
| 3 a.m. | Northern State Parkway | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dark | |
| 3 p.m. | Split Rock Rd | 1 | Vehicle occupant | daylight | |
| 8 p.m. | Jericho Turnpike (NY 25) | 1 | Pedestrian | dark | |
| 1 p.m. | S Oyster Bay Rd at Parkfield Ct | 1 | Pedestrian | daylight | |
| 2 p.m. | Jericho Turnpike (NY 25) at Lafayette Dr | 1 | Vehicle occupant | daylight | |
| 1 p.m. | Jericho Turnpike (NY 25) at S Oyster Bay Rd | 1 | Vehicle occupant | daylight | |
| 4 p.m. | Jericho Turnpike (NY 25) | 1 | Vehicle occupant | dusk |
FARS contains no names or personal identifiers. * 2024 records are preliminary. Download all 12 records (CSV) · How this was compiled
Recent Syosset Incident Reports
Right Lane Closed on Eastbound I-495 in Nassau County After Thursday Crash — September 17
A crash on eastbound I-495 in Nassau County closed the right lane on Thursday, September 17, 2026. The incident was classified as minor.
Two Arrested for Grand Larceny in Syosset, Nassau County, Aug. 31
Two Arrested for Grand Larceny in Syosset, Nassau County, Aug. 31. August 31, 2026.
Crash Closes Right Lane on Westbound I-495 at Exit 43A in Syosset
A crash on the westbound I-495 HOV Lane exit ramp at Exit 43A (Robbins Lane) in Syosset closed one right lane.
Right Shoulder Blocked on Westbound I-495 HOV Lane in Nassau County — August 21
Right Shoulder Blocked on Westbound I-495 HOV Lane in Nassau County — August 21. on Long Island Expressway/I-495 HOV Lane. in syosset. August 21, 2026.
Syosset Man Arrested for Burglary in Nassau County
Syosset Man Arrested for Burglary in Nassau County. August 3, 2026.
Right Shoulder Blocked After Minor Crash on Westbound I-495 in Nassau County
Right Shoulder Blocked After Minor Crash on Westbound I-495 in Nassau County. in syosset. July 14, 2026.
Updated continuously from 511NY, NYSP, NCPD, and SCPD feeds — all Long Island reports.
All reported crashes in the Town of Oyster Bay, 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 Syosset is for the Town of Oyster Bay, which contains it. Police reported 26,324 crashes there from 2021 through 2024 — about 18 a day. 6,596 (25.1%) injured someone and 50 were fatal. [D]
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,993 | 6,897 | 6,658 | 6,776 | 26,324 |
- Injury crashes
- 6,596
- Fatal crashes
- 50
- Struck a pedestrian
- 295
- Struck a bicyclist
- 222
- Struck a deer
- 38
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 Syosset gets to work
Syosset commuters travel an average of 40.9 minutes each way, 4.9 minutes longer than the Nassau County average (the national average is 26.4 minutes). About 50.9% of workers drive alone, and 12.7% ride the railroad. [B]
| Measure | Syosset | Nassau County | New York State | United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average one-way commute | 40.9 min ±5.1 | 36 min | 32.6 min | 26.4 min |
| Commute 60 minutes or longer | 30.6% ±4.1 | 22.3% | 16.8% | 8.6% |
| Commute under 15 minutes | 17.3% ±3 | 17.9% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Drive alone | 50.9% ±5.9 | 60.7% | 48.8% | 68.8% |
| Carpool | 6.6% ±2.2 | 7.3% | 6.3% | 8.5% |
| Commuter rail (LIRR) | 12.7% ±2.2 | 7.1% | 1.8% | 0.3% |
| Bus | 0.3% ±0.3 † | 2.2% | 5.1% | 1.5% |
| Walk | 1.1% ±0.8 † | 2% | 5.6% | 2.4% |
| Work from home | 25.3% ±3 | 15.6% | 14.9% | 15.1% |
| Leave home before 6 a.m. | 7.6% ±2 | 10.8% | 10.6% | 14.4% |
| Households with no vehicle | 1.2% ±0.8 † | 6.8% | 29.2% | 8.4% |
| Households with three or more vehicles | 20.5% ±3 | 23.3% | 11.8% | 21.9% |
Survey estimates for 8,462 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 Syosset
- The Long Island Rail Road reached Syosset in 1854 via the Hicksville & Cold Spring Branch Railroad, which the LIRR leased and then acquired outright in 1863.[2]
- The Town of Oyster Bay's Syosset landfill spent 22 years on the EPA's Superfund National Priorities List, from its 1983 listing to its 2005 delisting.[4]
- The EPA has conducted Five-Year Reviews of the capped Syosset landfill in 2007, 2012 and 2017, each time finding the remedy still protective of human health and the environment.[4]
- The proposed 92.8-acre Syosset Park development sits on the combined footprint of a former federal Superfund landfill and a former state-regulated industrial hazardous-waste site, the Cerro Wire plant.[5][4]
History
Syosset lies within the Robert Williams Plantation, a 1648 purchase from Native Americans that also underlies Hicksville, Jericho, Plainview and Woodbury.[1] The Long Island Rail Road reached Syosset in 1854, when the Hicksville & Cold Spring Branch Railroad built the line from Hicksville; the branch was leased to the LIRR and formally acquired by the LIRR in 1863.[2]
In the 20th century a roughly 39-acre parcel in Syosset became a Town of Oyster Bay landfill, closed in 1975 amid suspected groundwater contamination, while an adjoining industrial parcel operated for more than three decades as the Cerro Wire manufacturing facility, generating what a 2018 investigative account calls "a variety of hazardous wastes."[4] Both sites, along with Town Department of Public Works land, later became the footprint of the proposed 92.8-acre Syosset Park mixed-use redevelopment at Miller Place and Robbins Lane.[5]
How the roads got here
New York's official touring-route description carries the Long Island Expressway (I-495) and NY 25 (Jericho Turnpike) through the Syosset area as part of their continuous Nassau County routings.[8] William K. Vanderbilt II's Long Island Motor Parkway, which opened its first section in 1908 and operated as a private toll road until 1938, ran through central Nassau County near Syosset as part of the same road network that hosted the early Vanderbilt Cup races.[7]
Law and legal history
Syosset is home to one of Nassau County's more thoroughly documented Superfund histories.[4] The Town of Oyster Bay's landfill in Syosset closed in 1975 for suspected groundwater contamination, and in 1983 the EPA placed it on the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL).[4] Under EPA order the Town capped the landfill to state Department of Environmental Conservation standards, completing the cap in 1997, and has since conducted annual groundwater and air monitoring; the EPA delisted the site from the NPL in 2005 after concluding the remedy "was adequate to protect human health and the environment," and its subsequent Five-Year Reviews in 2007, 2012 and 2017 each reaffirmed that finding.[4] A separate, adjoining parcel, the former Cerro Wire manufacturing site, was addressed under New York State's hazardous-waste program: after remediation, the state Department of Environmental Conservation removed it from the registry of Inactive Hazardous Waste Disposal Sites.[4] A 2018 account describes the combined site as encompassing "one state and one federal former Superfund site"; two Long Island Press articles give differing acreage breakdowns for the Town-owned DPW portion of the combined 92.8-acre parcel (15 acres in one account, 53.8 acres including the landfill in the other), so both figures are noted here rather than one asserted as definitive.[4][5]
Government, courts and policing
The Nassau County Police Department's Second Precinct, headquartered at 7700 Jericho Turnpike in neighboring Woodbury, lists Syosset among the hamlets inside its coverage area, described as running "from Old Country Road to the Long Island Sound and from east of the Wantagh State Parkway to the Suffolk County border."[3][9]
As an unincorporated Town of Oyster Bay hamlet, smaller civil and criminal matters from Syosset go to Nassau County District Court in Hempstead, and larger civil matters to Nassau County Supreme Court in Mineola.[10][11]
Landmarks and listed places
Syosset timeline
- Robert Williams Plantation. Robert Williams's purchase from Native Americans laid the groundwork for what became Syosset, along with Hicksville, Jericho, Plainview and Woodbury.[1]
- Railroad arrives. The Hicksville & Cold Spring Branch Railroad built the line from Hicksville to Syosset; it was leased to the LIRR and eventually acquired by the LIRR in 1863.[2]
- Vanderbilt Cup era. The Long Island Motor Parkway opened its first section, part of the road network that also carried Vanderbilt Cup traffic through central Nassau County.[7]
- Town landfill closes. The Town of Oyster Bay's Syosset landfill closed amid suspected groundwater contamination.[4]
- Placed on Superfund NPL. The EPA placed the closed Syosset landfill on the Superfund National Priorities List.[4]
- Landfill capped. The Town capped the landfill to state DEC standards under EPA order, with long-term groundwater and air monitoring required.[4]
- Delisted from the NPL. The EPA delisted the Syosset landfill from the Superfund National Priorities List after concluding the capping-and-monitoring remedy was protective.[4]
Major roads in Syosset
| Road | Route | Maintained by | In Syosset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long Island Expressway [8] | I-495 | New York State | passes through Syosset's southern portion |
| Jericho Turnpike [8] | NY 25 | New York State | runs east-west through the hamlet's commercial core |
Emergency Resources
Hospitals
- Syosset Hospital (Northwell Health) — 221 Jericho Turnpike, Syosset, NY 11791 — (516) 496-6400 (Existing page gives the phone as (516) 496-6500; Northwell's own site gives (516) 496-6400.)
- Plainview Hospital (Northwell Health) — 888 Old Country Road, Plainview, NY 11803 — (516) 719-3000 (Address and phone confirmed as listed.)
Police
- Nassau County Police Department, Second Precinct — 7700 Jericho Turnpike, Woodbury, NY 11797 — (516) 573-6200 (Existing page listed the Eighth Precinct at 475 N Franklin St, Hempstead; that address does not match any real NCPD precinct and Syosset is inside the Second Precinct's coverage area, not the Eighth's.)
Courts
- Nassau County District Court — 99 Main Street, Hempstead, NY 11550 — (516) 493-4200 (Existing page gives the phone as (516) 572-2355, which is wrong. Chief Clerk (516) 493-4159.)
- Nassau County Supreme Court — 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 — (516) 493-3400 (Existing page gives the phone as (516) 571-2904, which is wrong.)
Local Driver Services in Syosset
Practical resources for Syosset drivers — tire shops, gas prices, and live traffic conditions.
Safety Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do after a car accident in Syosset, NY?
Call 911 immediately. NCPD will respond. Document the scene with photographs, exchange insurance information, and collect witness details. File a formal police report and notify your own insurer. If you sustained serious injuries, consult a Nassau County personal injury attorney before accepting any insurance settlement.
Which roads are most dangerous in Syosset?
The LIE through Syosset at Exit 43 (South Oyster Bay Road) and Exit 44 (Woodbury Road) sees frequent high-speed collisions. Jericho Turnpike through the commercial center is the highest-accident surface road. Woodbury Road between the LIE and Jericho Turnpike handles heavy commuter traffic with significant speed variability.
Where is the nearest hospital to Syosset?
Syosset Hospital, a Northwell Health facility at 221 Jericho Turnpike, is located directly in the hamlet and provides emergency services. Plainview Hospital on Old Country Road is a nearby alternative.
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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 Oyster Bay. Town History (n.d.). Government record.
- [2] trainsarefun.com. LIRR Branch Notes: Wading River Branch (Port Jefferson Branch) (n.d.). Reference work.
- [3] Nassau County Police Department. About Second Precinct (n.d.). Government record.
- [4] Long Island Press (Schneps Media). A Toxic Relationship (2018). News report.
- [5] Long Island Press (Schneps Media). The 93-Acre Elephant Next Door (2018). News report.
- [6] Town of Oyster Bay. Town History (designated-landmarks list) (n.d.). Government record.
- [7] New York Heritage Digital Collections / Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum. The Long Island Motor Parkway Collection (historical context) (n.d.). Museum.
- [8] 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.
- [9] Nassau County Police Department. Second Precinct (address) (n.d.). Government record.
- [10] New York State Unified Court System. Nassau County District Court (2026). Court decision.
- [11] New York State Unified Court System. Nassau County Supreme Court (2026). Court decision.
- [12] Northwell Health. Syosset Hospital (n.d.). Institution.
- [13] Northwell Health. Plainview Hospital (n.d.). Institution.
Sources opened and checked September 17, 2026.