East Orange, NJ Public Conduct: Jaywalking (2026)

East Orange City Code § 260-10.2, added in 2006, was written to protect pedestrians, including schoolchildren, without turning ordinary crossing mistakes by minors into criminal cases: the section states its goal is to educate children rather than punish them with a fine or imprisonment. On streets where a traffic signal or a police officer, traffic officer or school traffic guard controls the intersection, a pedestrian cannot cross against the red or stop signal unless directed to go by that officer or guard. Where no officer or signal controls the crossing, a pedestrian must cross within a marked crosswalk, or, if there is no crosswalk, at right angles to the roadway.

Where the City has installed a sidewalk, walking along the adjacent street or roadway instead of the sidewalk is unlawful. At intersections staffed by a police officer, traffic officer or school crossing guard, a pedestrian may only enter or cross at the marked crosswalk, not mid-block. The reciprocal duty falls on drivers too: a vehicle operator must yield to a pedestrian in a marked or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, except where a signal or officer is controlling traffic, though a pedestrian who steps off a curb too close to an oncoming vehicle for the driver to stop still bears responsibility for that risk.

Enforcement is a joint effort of the East Orange Police Department, the Department of Public Works and the Board of Education. Penalties for any violation of Chapter 260, including this section, run through § 260-12: a fine of not more than $54, imprisonment of up to 15 days, or both, on top of the $50 Emergency Medical Technical Training Fund surcharge and $50 court costs set by § 260-12.1.