I'll admit it: stories that involve little kids getting hurt bother me.

I think there's a general line of thinking out there that reporters coast through tragedies, taking notes, getting quotes and then moving on to the Next Big Thing. To some degree, it's true. To avoid going completely crazy, I think most reporters -- and cops, firefighters and medics -- have to put themselves behind some wall of objectivity when they're dealing with traumatic cases.

But that wall crumbles -- for me personally, anyway -- when bad stuff happens to little kids, especially when they're close in age to my own children. With that in mind, I was in Holmesburg tonight, where 3-year-old Johnny Dooley was run over by a speeding SUV when he dashed into the street. Cops and neighbors said the driver got out, told everybody that it was an accident and then got back in his car and sped off.

Little Johnny is in critical but stable condition at St. Chris'. He should pull through. A bunch of considerate neighbors even came to his aid and tried to keep him calm when he came to with a severe gash in his head and blood pouring out of his mouth. There was still a large stain in the street last night where neighbors tried to scrub his blood away.

What makes this case a little different is that everyone in Johnny's neighborhood got a look at the car -- a dark-colored Chevy Blazer or GMC Jimmy with a missing headlight -- and the driver -- a chubby 30-something white guy with short dark hair -- and all of the neighbors are helping the cops. (Yes, Virginia, we're still in Philadelphia.)

So, the message is simple this time out. If you know this guy, tell him to turn himself in, or call Officer Eddie Velez at AID, 215-685-3180. Slow down when you're driving in a residential neighborhood, especially when you see little kids bobbing up and down the street. And, if you got a minute, say a prayer for little Johnny.