Camden City Councilman Arthur Barclay appears in court for hitting pedestrian while driving with suspended license in 2023

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Camden City Councilman Arthur Barclay was arraigned Monday in the Camden County Hall of Justice for seriously injuring a pedestrian while driving with a suspended license.

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

The state Attorney General’s office took over the case days after the incident.

He was indicted by a grand jury in October on a fourth-degree felony. If convicted, Barclay faces up to 18 months in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Also, his driver’s license will be suspended for an additional year.

Barclay, who appeared in court wearing a pine green suit, was with his attorney, Shawn Huber.

Deputy Assistant Attorney General Lindsay Watson indicated a plea agreement had been offered to Barclay. Huber told Superior Court Judge Gwendolyn Blue that he would seek a dismissal of the indictment.

Huber and Watson both declined to comment after the hearing.

Barclay, who is also a Camden County employee, pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance. He will be back in court on Dec. 9.

He was elected last fall to represent Ward 1, which includes much of the city’s waterfront. 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.

The Camden native is a member of the South Jersey Basketball Hall of Fame. He won a state championship in 2000 at Camden High School and an NIT championship while at the University of Memphis. Barclay briefly played professional basketball.