Toddler hit-and-run victim
is out of the hospital

The Holmesburg toddler struck in front of his home by a sport-utility vehicle on Oct. 22 has been released from the hospital while police continue their hunt for the hit-and-run driver responsible for the near-fatality.
John Jacob Dooley Jr., 3, was critically injured when he darted into the 4200 block of Decatur St. at about 7 p.m. and was struck by the oncoming vehicle. The child reportedly was helping his grandfather rake leaves at the time when he attempted to cross the street in response to a neighbor’s call.
The eastbound Chevy Blazer threw the boy several dozen feet along the road surface, knocking him unconscious. The motorist reportedly got out of his vehicle, observed the toddler, and then drove away.
The youngster suffered multiple injuries, including deep abrasions of the face and arm, broken ribs, a lacerated spleen and bruised lungs. A spokeswoman for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia said that the youth had been released from the medical facility but she provided no additional information about his condition because of health privacy laws.
The father of the injured boy, John Jacob Dooley Sr., did not return numerous messages requesting comment on the incident and young John Jacob’s recovery.
A supervisor in the Philadelphia Police Department’s accident investigation division said that officers have thus far come up with very little despite their diligent search for the suspect motorist and exploring dozens of tips.
"There are thirty or forty (vehicles) that we’ve looked at so far," said Sgt. Larry Ritchie.
The suspect’s vehicle is a black and dark gray Chevy Blazer, late 1990s model. It had a spare wheel attached to its rear gate and likely had damage to the passenger-side head lamp after the accident, Ritchie said.
The vehicle now might have a new head lamp.
The suspect is a white man in his mid-30s. He is about 6 feet tall and weighs about 250 pounds. He was clean-shaven and wore a dark T-shirt and jeans.
"Somebody in the Northeast has to know a neighbor who has a (vehicle) like that with front-end damage," Ritchie said. "Somebody has to realize it’s their neighbor."
Investigators ask the public to call with any possible leads. The number is 215-685-3180. ••