Hours after he was helicoptered to a hospital from the scene of a deadly multi-car crash on the New Jersey Turnpike, Tracy Morgan put on a brave face.
“He’s got a brace on his neck, but he’s smiling,” said a visitor to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where the 45-year-old “30 Rock” star remained in critical condition Saturday night.
The harrowing smashup killed a fellow comic and injured four others.
Prosecutors charged trucker Kevin Roper of Jonesboro, Ga. with death by auto and four counts of assault by auto for causing the 1 a.m. pileup on the northbound lanes in Cranbury. Roper’s bail was set at $50,000.
ABC News reported Roper, 35, was “dozing.” But state police would not confirm the claim.
Morgan pal and fellow comic James “Uncle Jimmy Mack” McNair, 63, a Peekskill resident, was declared dead at the scene, police said.
Morgan’s assistant, Jeff Millea, was also choppered to the same hospital.
Two others in the luxury 2012 Mercedes Sprinter limo van, comedians Harris Stanton and Ardie Fuqua, were also hospitalized.
Morgan’s publicist, Lewis Kay, confirmed that the comic was in critical condition. “His family is now with him and he is receiving excellent care,” said Kay. “We don’t anticipate much of a change in his condition today.”
The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating.
Morgan and his friends were on their way back to New York after a Friday night performance at the Delaware Downs Hotel and Casino in Delaware.
Roper, driving a Peterbilt tractor-trailer, rear-ended Morgan’s luxury van near the Molly Pitcher rest area, state police said.
Roper, 35, “failed to observe the traffic,” said State Police Sgt. Gregory Williams. The 18-wheeler swerved at the last moment, causing Morgan’s van to flip onto to its side.
The initial crash set off a chain reaction that involved four other vehicles, including another tractor-trailer, Williams said.
Only those in Morgan’s van were injured. The van’s driver and another employee were not seriously hurt.
Morgan usually travels with his fiancee and their 11-month-old child. But they were not with him.
Fuqua — who opened for Morgan in Delaware — tweeted a picture of the comedian in front of the wildly cheering crowd.
“This is what it looks like form the stage to see a standing ovation from 1,500 people,” the caption said. “Then we traveled back to NYC in style in a luxury Mercedes Sprinter. Road life is good life!”
Morgan’s fellow celebrities tweeted their good wishes.
Morgan was an “SNL” regular from 1996 to 2003. In 2006, Morgan found a long-running role on NBC’s hit show “30 Rock,” which was created by “SNL” co-star Tina Fey and ran until last year.
He received an Emmy nomination for best supporting actor for “30 Rock” in 2009.