So, as long time readers know, I fought with Brian Hickey when he went to work for John Doughtery, and Ray and I worked with him a little on a joint YPP-City Paper project before that.

Needless to say, this is totally shocking and awful:

Brian Hickey, former managing editor of the City Paper and manager of labor leader John Dougherty's state senate campaign last spring, was listed in critical condition last night after a hit-and-run accident in South Jersey.

Collingswood Police Chief Thomas Garrity said Hickey, 35, of East Falls, was walking about 10:15 p.m. Friday on North Atlantic Avenue at West Linden in Collingswood, near a PATCO stop, when he was struck by a motorist who left the scene.

Hickey was found unconscious on the roadway with a bloody cut on his head, Garrity said. Police officers saw skid marks on the roadway. Hickey was rushed to Cooper University Medical Center in Camden, where he is still hospitalized.

A resident heard a loud bang and saw a car speeding east on Atlantic Avenue toward Cuthbert Boulevard but didn't get a description of the vehicle or a license plate, Garrity said.

Awful. I know we all wish him well, and a full and speedy recovery.