Camden City Councilman Arthur Barclay enters pretrial intervention for hitting a pedestrian while on a suspended license

From Camden and Cherry Hill to Trenton and the Jersey Shore, what about life in New Jersey do you want WHYY News to cover? Let us know.

Camden City Councilman Arthur Barclay was accepted into the Pretrial Intervention (PTI) Program, allowing him to avoid having a criminal record. His application was submitted before his Monday morning hearing, during which Judge Gwendolyn Blue confirmed its approval.

“The good thing, Mr. Barclay, sir, is that you do everything you’re supposed to do, you will not have a criminal record,” Blue told Barclay.

Barclay, who was charged last year with seriously injuring a pedestrian while driving with a suspended license, was indicted in October.

After processing, Barclay left the Camden County Hall of Justice with his attorney, Shawn Huber.  Also at Barclay’s side was disgraced former Camden school advisory board president Wasim Muhammed, who said he was there to offer support.

Barclay was accused of striking a 37-year-old woman with a car, leaving her with a shattered right femur, fourth-degree burns and injuries to her right hip, according to the probable cause statement. The incident, first reported by TAPInto Camden, happened July 1, 2023, on Chambers Avenue near Benson Street.

He appeared in court in November following his indictment on a fourth-degree felony. If the case had gone to trial, Barclay would have faced up to 18 months in state prison, a fine of up to $10,000, and an additional year of his driver’s license being suspended.

Barclay is in his first term representing Ward 1 on Camden City Council. He was previously an assemblyman from 2016 until he resigned in 2018 after being accused of punching a woman in the face during a dispute at his home. The domestic assault charge was later dismissed when the complainant did not show up to court.