The man who was beaten and killed Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau He expressed his hope that the brothers would be alive after the fatal accident.
in Body camera footage Issued by New Jersey State Police, Sean M. Higgins — who struck Johnny, 31, star of the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets, and Matthew, 29, with his Jeep as the brothers were riding bikes in Oldman's Township, New Jersey on August 29 — could be seen and heard in the immediate aftermath of the accident. incident.
“Is everyone okay there?” Higgins asked one of the officers. “I mean what happened?”
Before leading Higgins to the police car, the officer told him: “We will talk about this when we get to the station.”
The footage shows Higgins admitting to officers that he had been drinking alcohol before the crash and was driving home from a nearby Taco Bell.
“I mean I was drinking beer, but I haven't had one in about two hours,” Higgins said. “Since the accident, maybe an hour or so.”
The officers told Higgins they needed to perform a field sobriety test and asked him if he had been injured in the incident.
“I'm absolutely terrified,” Higgins replied.
As he attempted to administer sobriety tests, Higgins told officers: “I'm sorry. I'm just terrified. What am I supposed to do again?”
“You said it's been about an hour since your last drink?” one of the officers asked Higgins.
Higgins admitted there had been “five or six” Miller Lites since noon.
After a sobriety test, Higgins was handcuffed, read his rights and taken to the police station. It was later revealed that his blood alcohol level was 0.087, more than the legal limit of 0.08.
Higgins was charged with two counts of vehicular homicide, reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.
He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
The Salem County Sheriff's Office also released a 911 audio recording from the night the Goudreau brothers were killed.
“I just witnessed a hit and run of two people on bikes,” one caller told the dispatcher. The caller later corrected the statement, saying the driver had stopped on the side of the road.
The dispatcher asked: Was anyone injured?
The mother of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau has expressed her gratitude for the emotional tributes to her late sons in the wake of their tragic deaths. “Thank you to the Columbus Blue Jackets organization, the players, their families, and the entire city of Columbus,” Jen Gaudreau shared via X on Sunday, October 20. “Love and (…)”
“Yes, they are both on the ground,” the caller said.
When asked about the conditions of the victims, the caller said: “It is dark, we cannot see.”
Higgins last appeared in court on November 12 during a hearing Members of Goudreau's family were present.
During the proceedings, prosecutors were granted a 30-day extension to file an indictment against Higgins.
