UNC Student Mascot Still In Critical Condition After Car Accident

Saturday, March 24th 2007, 2:03 pm

By: News On 6

FORT LEE, N.J. (AP) _ The student who wears the North Carolina mascot uniform was remained critical condition Saturday after being hit by a car while walking outside a hotel the previous day.

Jason Ray, a senior from Concord, N.C., was to have performed inside the Rameses costume during Friday night's East Regional semifinal between the Tar Heels and Southern California. He was injured while walking in the afternoon in Fort Lee, N.J., a few miles from the Meadowlands complex where the game was played.

Ray was taken to Hackensack Medical Center, where he was in critical condition Saturday, police said.

The driver of the SUV, 51-year-old Gagik Hovsepyan of Paramus, has not been charged with a crime. Police say he immediately got out of his car to help Ray and quickly called 911.

There were no witnesses to the accident, which is still under investigation.