Grand jury indicts driver who allegedly killed Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau
The driver accused of hitting and killing star NHL forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew while intoxicated this past summer was indicted on Wednesday, NBC Philadelphia has confirmed.
Sean Higgins has been indicted in a crash that killed NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew in New Jersey over the summer. https://t.co/fperqyc83I
— NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) December 11, 2024
A grand jury charged Sean Higgins, 43, of Woodstown, N.J., with second-degree reckless vehicular homicide, first-degree aggravated manslaughter, fourth-degree tampering with physical evidence and second-degree leaving the scene of a fatal accident.
On Aug. 30, the brothers were struck and killed by a car while riding their bicycles, New Jersey State Police sources confirmed to Daily Faceoff. The incident occurred in rural Salem County, N.J., just outside of Philadelphia.
Higgins attempted tried to pass two vehicles ahead of him before entering the southbound lane. An SUV in front of him moved to the middle of the road, splitting the north and south lanes in order to safely pass the brothers as their rode their bikes on the right side of the road, according to investigators.
Higgins then allegedly tried to pass the SUV but hit the brothers, police say.
New Jersey state troopers pulled over Higgins and noticed his breath smelled like alcohol, according to the criminal complaint. He allegedly admitted to drinking “five-to-six beers” before getting behind the wheel.
Police say he failed a sobriety test and had a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the state’s legal limit of .08.
Johnny Gaudreau turned 31 less than three weeks before the incident. He was due to report to Columbus Blue Jackets training camp for his 11th NHL season, set to embark on the third year of an eight-year, $68.25 million contract signed with the team in 2022.
Through 763 regular-season games, Johnny had 243 goals and 500 assists for 743 points with the Calgary Flames and Blue Jackets.
Meanwhile, his brother Matthew played four full seasons at Boston College, scoring 16 goals and 47 assists for 63 points in 119 career games. He would go on to play a handful of seasons in both the AHL and ECHL.