South Amboy is a suburban city in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located on Raritan Bay.

[22][23] First settled by the Lenape Native Americans, who called the area around Perth Amboy by the name "Ompoge" (meaning "level ground"), the settlement ultimately became a key port for commerce between Lower New York Bay and Philadelphia, connected first by stagecoach and eventually by railroad.

In 1831, Robert L. Stevens brought the steam engine "John Bull" to the Camden & Amboy Railroad.

In 1984, scenes for The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) were filmed in South Amboy at the Raritan Diner.

It was first mentioned on May 28, 1782, in minutes of the Board of Chosen Freeholders as having been formed from Perth Amboy Township.

Other modern municipalities included in these splits are Jamesburg, South Brunswick, and Cranbury.

[32][33] As a result of South Amboy's strategic location as a transportation hub, the city has been heavily damaged by military explosives in two major incidents.

The 1918 explosions occurred during World War I at the Gillespie Shell Loading Plant, just south of the town.

The 1950 explosion struck as Healing Lighterage Company dockworkers were transferring ammunition from a freight train onto barges.

Both disasters killed dozens and injured hundreds of local victims, damaged hundreds of South Amboy buildings, required emergency declarations of martial law, and scattered wide areas of ammunition remnants that continue to surface occasionally.

[8][40] South Amboy is bordered by land with Sayreville to the south and west, by Perth Amboy to the north (across the Raritan River), and Staten Island to the east (across the Raritan Bay in New York City).

[citation needed] Mechanicsville, White's Dock, and Thomas J. Dohany Homes are neighborhoods in the city.

As The New York Times said of South Amboy in 2000: "The population mix has not changed much since the beginning of the 20th century, when Irish and Polish immigrants came to work on the three railroads that crisscrossed the city.

"[44] South Amboy remains a strong enclave of Polish ethnicity, including 21% of its population in the 2000 census,[45] and the historic Sacred Heart Church and School.

[6][60] As of 2024[update], the Mayor of South Amboy is Democrat Fred Henry, whose term of office ends December 31, 2026.

[61][62][63][64] In February 2015, the City Council appointed Thomas Reilly to fill the Second Ward expiring in December 2016 that became vacant when Christine Noble took office in an at-large seat.

[66] Following the death of Russell Stillwagon in June 2010, after serving nearly two decades on the City Council, Donald Applegate was chosen the following month by council members from among three names proposed to fill the vacancy representing the First Ward.

[69][70][71] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 6th congressional district is represented by Frank Pallone (D, Long Branch).

[74] For the 2024-2025 session, the 19th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Joe F. Vitale (D, Woodbridge Township) and in the General Assembly by Craig Coughlin (D, Woodbridge Township) and Yvonne Lopez (D, Perth Amboy).

[76] As of 2025[update], Middlesex County's Commissioners (with party affiliation, term-end year, and residence listed in parentheses) are: Director Ronald G. Rios (D, Carteret, 2027),[77] Deputy Director Shanti Narra (D, North Brunswick, 2027),[78] Claribel A.

[89][90][91] As of November 2018, there were a total of 5,876 registered voters in South Amboy, of which 2,948 (50.%) submitted ballots in the last General Election.

Incumbent Mayor Fred Henry (1,490) secured his third term by defeating Republican candidate Peter Pisar (923) and independent amateur Brandon Russell (403).

[107] The South Amboy Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.

[115][116] Raritan Bay Catholic Preparatory—Sacred Heart School was a parochial elementary school opened in 1895 and serving Pre-K–3 to eighth grade that operated under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen, until it was closed in June 2016 due to insufficient enrollment.

The 817 runs between Middletown and Perth Amboy, with stops in Keansburg, Hazlet, Union Beach, Keyport, Aberdeen, and Old Bridge.

[133] In June 2020, the project received $5.3 million in federal funding for construction of a terminal near the train station.

[134] On October 30, 2023, the NY Waterway began service between South Amboy and Manhattan, with stops at Downtown (Brookfield Place/Battery Park City) and Midtown (W39th Street) at 100 Radford Ferry Road.

There is currently only a temporary terminal at the end of an abandoned industrial pier, but a $30 million dollar permanent facility is in the process of being built nearby with a planned opening in 2025.

[138] People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with South Amboy include: Scenes from the 1985 Woody Allen movie The Purple Rose of Cairo were filmed in the former Raritan Diner.

[31][156][157] A punishment for the TV show Impractical Jokers was filmed at the Rollermagic Rollerrink, featuring a local roller-derby team.