Newspaper deliveryman in grave condition after hit-and-run in San Jose

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- A newspaper deliveryman is hospitalized in grave condition after police said a hit-and-run driver struck him near Monroe Terrace and South Monroe Street in San Jose Tuesday morning.

San Jose police blocked Moorpark Avenue after the incident, but it has since reopened.

For hundreds of drivers on Moorpark Avenue at South Monroe Street, this was an inconvenient detour.

For one man, just delivering newspapers around 5 a.m. with his wife in a mini-van, this was devastating.

Police said he delivered a paper and tried to walk back across Moorpark Avenue when a vehicle hit him and drove off.

The man in his 60s had life threatening injuries, but thankfully he was less than a mile away from Valley Medical Center.

"I mean that's probably the only thing that kept them alive, so far. I mean he was so close to one of the best trauma centers in Northern California," San Jose Police Department Sgt. John Carr said.

The Vehicle Crimes Unit took over the investigation.

A witness gave a description of the suspect's car, and evidence left behind could help find the driver.

Police say the suspect's vehicle is a dark, 2007 to 2009 Toyota Camry, with damage to the front and driver's side. A mirror and other parts were left at the scene.

"Someone's going to drive home tonight or somebody's going to be somewhere that's going to have some new fresh damage to their car that's someone's going to notice. We ask them to please give us a call if they see something like that," Carr said.