A year after NHL hockey star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother were struck and killed as they bicycled in Salem County, the case against the man charged in their deaths is continuing in court.
Defense attorneys have filed a string of as-yet unsuccessful motions to dismiss some charges and bar evidence against driver Sean M. Higgins from trial. They will be in court again next month with a bid to suppress statements prosecutors say their client made to police.
Four New Jersey State Police troopers involved in the case are expected to testify during the Sept. 18 hearing, according to statements made in court last week.
As the court case continues, the Gaudreau family has marked poignant milestones, welcomed new babies and worked to ensure the brothers’ legacy lives on.
A family tries to carry on
The Gaudreau brothers’ widows sued Higgins in state Superior Court, alleging he was “negligent, careless and reckless” in operating his vehicle and his negligence caused the brothers’ deaths.
The brothers’ estates split a $500,000 settlement with Higgins’ insurance company under a plan that was finalized in February.
The wives were both pregnant at the time of the crash.
The Gaudreau family, standing along with 5k run winners at the Washington Lake Park amphitheater during Gaudreau Family 5K Run, Walk & Family Fun Day in Sewell on Saturday, May 31, 2025.
Madeline Gaudreau, Matthew’s widow, announced the birth of the couple’s son, Tripp Matthew, last December.
Meredith Gaudreau, Johnny’s widow, announced that the couple’s third son, Carter Michael Gaudreau, was born April 1.
They also have a new mission.
Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau launched a foundation that will support causes important to the late brothers.
The John and Matthew Gaudreau Foundation will promote and expand youth ice hockey opportunities, help hockey families facing tragedies and assist families affected by drunk driving, the women announced earlier this year.
The family also recently hosted the inaugural Gaudreau Family 5K Run, Walk & Family Fun Day in May. The event raised funds for a new adaptive playground at Archbishop Damiano School in Westville.
The family had a fresh reason to celebrate over the summer.
Katie Gaudreau postponed her wedding when her brothers were killed last August, but the ceremony took place in July in Philadelphia.
A tragedy unfolds
Prosecutors say Sean Higgins, 44, of Pilesgrove, was intoxicated when he struck and killed Johnny Gaudreau, 31, and Matthew R. Gaudreau, 29, as they bicycled along a rural road in Oldmans Township on the evening of Aug. 29, 2024.
Johnny Gaudreau played 11 seasons in the NHL, while Matthew was a college hockey player and later a coach. Their deaths stunned the hockey world and the South Jersey community where the men grew up.
Fans honored the brothers with a series of memorials and tributes.
They were biking from their family’s nearby home to visit a family friend in the area when the crash occurred, according to a police report. The brothers were supposed to be groomsmen in their sister’s wedding, which was scheduled for the day after they were killed.
Higgins was driving north on Route 551/Pennsville-Auburn Road around 8:15 p.m. when he tried to pass vehicles in front of him, according to prosecutors.
He tried to illegally pass an SUV on the right side and struck the Gaudreaus, prosecutors said. The brothers were riding their bikes single-file on the fog line — the solid white line marking the edge of the roadway.
Sean Higgins becomes emotional as his defense describes the crime scene during an April hearing at the Salem County Courthouse in Salem.
Witnesses described Higgins’ driving as erratic and reckless, and said his vehicle was partially on the grass when he hit the men.
The brothers were unconscious but breathing after they were struck, according to a motorist who called 911. By the time EMTs arrived, they had died, the prosecution stated in court filings.
Higgins’ SUV sustained “significant damage” and came to a stop about 1,500 feet — or more than a quarter of a mile — from the crash scene after the vehicle stalled, prosecutors said.
While the prosecution argued Higgins tried to leave the scene and could have stopped his vehicle sooner if he wished, his lawyers argued that he wasn’t attempting to flee.
Higgins failed a field sobriety test and was arrested at the scene, authorities said.
He admitted drinking five or six beers after finishing work the afternoon of the crash and drinking two beers while driving around for two hours prior to the crash, according to prosecutors.
He also admitted trying to hide beer cans after hitting the Gaudreaus, prosecutors said.
Higgins told police his drinking “contributed to his impatience and reckless driving” on the night of the crash, according to court documents.
The brothers did not have lights on their bikes and they weren’t wearing helmets, according to a police report. But, the prosecution pointed to witness statements that the men were doing nothing improper and were following the rules of the road when they were hit.
The case against Higgins
Higgins was indicted last December on two counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter, two counts of second-degree reckless vehicular homicide, second-degree leaving the scene of a fatal accident and fourth-degree tampering with physical evidence.
He faces up to 70 years in prison if found guilty, the prosecution stated.
He has rejected an offer from the prosecution that would have sent him to prison for 35 years in return for a guilty plea.
The defense has made no counter plea offer in the case.
Higgins’ attorneys have filed a series of motions attempting to get some charges dismissed and to suppress evidence from trial.
In April, Superior Court Judge Michael Silvanio rejected requests to dismiss the aggravated manslaughter counts and the charge of leaving the scene of a fatal accident.
A makeshift memorial for NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, who were killed by a suspected drunken driver as they bicycled on a rural road.
He also rejected a defense argument that prosecutors failed to tell the grand jury about possible “contributory negligence” by the Gaudreaus in their own deaths.
That negligence, they said, was that the brothers were biking while intoxicated.
Higgins’ attorneys revealed in court filings that Johnny Gaudreau had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.129% when he was killed, while Matthew Gaudreau had a reading of 0.134%.
Both readings were higher than Higgins’ alleged blood alcohol concentration of 0.087%, which was above the legal limit of 0.08% for drivers.
Assistant Prosecutor Michael Mestern countered that the brothers broke no law because “there is no ‘cycling while intoxicated’ statute in New Jersey.”
Last week, the judge denied a defense motion to suppress vehicle data from Higgins’ SUV. The defense argued data was illegally obtained by investigators, but Silvanio concluded that warrants were properly obtained.
The next defense motion, scheduled to be argued Sept. 18, involves statements Higgins made to investigators.
His attorneys argued in briefs that all statements he made to police should be barred because he wasn’t read his Miranda rights against self-incrimination and to legal counsel soon enough.
The prosecution argued all statements Higgins made, both at the crash scene and in a formal interview with police, were lawfully obtained.
Higgins, a major in the New Jersey Army National Guard who works for a substance abuse treatment network based in Pennsylvania, remains jailed pending the outcome of his case.
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Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com.