On July 6, 2025, around 6:57 p.m., a Tesla Model 3 failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of County Route 671 and Chestnut Avenue in Buena Vista Township, New Jersey, and struck a Honda Civic making a left turn, according to New Jersey State Police. The Civic’s driver, 82-year-old Stephen Field, was killed. The Tesla’s driver and three passengers suffered moderate injuries and were hospitalized. The crash remains under investigation.
Local news reports described the incident as a Tesla that ran a stop sign without mentioning any driver-assistance system involvement. However, according to an Electrek investigation, Tesla filed a report with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stating that a driver-assist system was engaged at the time of the crash.
Under NHTSA’s Standing General Order, automakers must report crashes where a Level 2 driver-assist system was engaged within 30 seconds of impact. Tesla’s report identifies the vehicle as a 2019 Model 3 and marks the automation “Engagement Status” as “Verified Engaged,” confirming the system was active through the car’s telematics. The report documents the fatality and notes that Tesla possesses the event-data recorder and telematics from the vehicle.
However, Tesla redacted three critical fields in its submission: the crash narrative, the software version, and whether the road was within the system’s approved operating area, citing “confidential business information.” Because the software version was redacted, it cannot be determined with certainty whether the system was basic Autopilot or “Full Self-Driving.” However, Electrek notes that reading stop signs and deciding whether to stop is a City-Streets function specific to Full Self-Driving, while basic Autopilot is designed as a highway lane-keeping system that does not respond to stop signs.
Tesla’s report logs the Tesla’s pre-crash speed at 4 mph, which Electrek notes could indicate a rolling stop rather than a car moving at high speed through the intersection. This speed figure aligns with behavior that prompted NHTSA to push Tesla to recall approximately 54,000 vehicles in 2022 for Full Self-Driving rolling through stop signs instead of stopping.
Electrek matched the crash to Tesla’s redacted NHTSA data using unredacted information on location, state, vehicle type, the fatality, and timing. NJSP reported the incident at 6:57 p.m. local time, while Tesla logged it as 22:54 UTC, which converts to approximately 6:54 p.m. local time—a three-minute difference.
Key facts
- A Tesla Model 3 ran a stop sign and struck a Honda Civic turning left, killing the Civic’s 82-year-old driver, Stephen Field, on July 6, 2025, in Buena Vista Township, New Jersey
- Tesla’s report to NHTSA confirms a driver-assist system was engaged at the time of the crash, marked as ‘Verified Engaged’
- Tesla redacted the crash narrative, software version, and approved operating area information in its NHTSA filing, preventing public knowledge of whether Autopilot or Full Self-Driving was active
- The system at issue is most likely Full Self-Driving, as basic Autopilot is not designed to respond to stop signs
- Tesla’s pre-crash speed logging showed 4 mph, consistent with rolling-stop behavior that prompted a 54,000-vehicle recall in 2022