Candlelight vigil held for Tracy Morgan’s injured friend

More than a hundred well-wishers gathered in New Jersey on Monday night (07Jul14) to hold a prayer vigil for a comedian injured in a car crash with Tracy Morgan last month (Jun14). Ardie Fuqua was among those hurt in the 7 June (14) traffic accident which killed comic writer James ‘Jimmy Mack’ McNair and left fellow funnyman Morgan fighting for his life after the limousine they were travelling in collided with a truck.
The 30 Rock star was recently transferred from hospital to a rehabilitation facility, while his pal Fuqua, 43, who sustained a brain injury, is also facing a long recovery in rehab.
Fuqua was the focus of a prayer meeting and candlelit vigil held on the street where he lives in Jersey City on Monday, a month after the horrific crash. His friends, family members and neighbours were among those who turned out holding candles, and the street was adorned with green and black ribbons.
Reverend Dorothy Patterson, of Fuqua’s family church, led the service and told the Jersey Journal newspaper, “We wanted to just gather as a community, as a family, just to let (the Fuqua family) know that there are people all over praying for them… It’s a very close community. Ardie was born and raised on this block, so they all know him,” while the funnyman’s father, Ardie Fuqua Sr., adds “(It) lets me know that the people care. It lets me know that the people see me when I don’t think they see me.”
Kevin Roper, 35, from Georgia, has pleaded guilty to a number of charges stemming from the deadly crash. He was driving a truck for U.S. superstore Walmart and is accused of falling asleep at the wheel.