38°
The Salem County Correctional Facility released the mugshot of 43-year-old Sean Higgins to Newsweek. Higgins was charged with two counts of death by auto in the Thursday, Aug. 29 crash that killed Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.
Johnny, 31, played for the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Calgary Flames. Matthew, 29, was a boys hockey head coach at the brothers' alma mater of Gloucester Catholic High School.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was among countless hockey fans mourning the brothers' deaths.
"Johnny Gaudreau may have come up from the States, but hockey fans in Calgary, and across Canada, will remember him as one of our own," Trudeau posted on social media. "Thinking of his teammates, friends, and the Gaudreau family today."
State police responded to the crash near milepost 11.1 on County Route 551 in Oldmans Township at around 8:19 p.m.
Investigators said the Gaudreaus were riding bicycles north close to the fog line on the side of the road. Higgins tried to pass a car and SUV while also traveling north in a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Higgins passed the car and tried to get back into the northbound lane when the SUV moved into the middle of the road to pass the Gaudreaus on their bikes. Troopers say Higgins tried to pass the SUV on its right side when his Jeep hit the brothers from behind.
The Gaudreaus were pronounced dead at the scene.
"The Gaudreau siblings were proud New Jersey natives," Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement. "The two of them discovered their love for hockey in the rinks of South Jersey, and followed their passion up to Boston, where both brothers quickly emerged as star players on the Boston College men’s hockey team."
The brothers were expected to attend their sister's wedding which was planned for Friday, Aug. 30. A webpage on The Knot listed them as groomsmen.
Johnny Gaudreau earned the nickname "Johnny Hockey" from his success with the Eagles. He helped BC win the 2012 national championship and was the winner of the 2014 Hobey Baker Award, given to the NCAA's top hockey player.
Matthew, who also went by Matty, played with his older brother in Chestnut Hill during Johnny's senior season. They made it to the Frozen Four in 2014.
Johnny was drafted by the Flames in 2011 and joined them immediately after his BC career ended. He played in Calgary for nine seasons and his 609 points are the fifth most in franchise history.
The most iconic moment for Johnny Gaudreau as a Flame likely came in the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He scored the series-clinching goal in overtime to beat the Dallas Stars in Game 7.
Johnny signed with the Blue Jackets in 2022 as a free agent and played two seasons for Columbus. He made seven all-star games and won the 2017 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, given to players who show high performance and sportsmanship.
Social media posts showed fans leaving flowers and other mementos outside the home arenas for the Flames and Blue Jackets.
After his time at BC, Matty played four seasons in the American Hockey League and ECHL. He was most recently with the Worcester Railers in 2022 before taking the coaching job at Gloucester Catholic.
Troopers said the crash remained under investigation.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Pompton Lakes and receive free news updates.
