New Jersey prosecutors said driver Sean Higgins had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.087 after the August 29, 2024 crash that killed hockey players and brothers Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. The allegation, made at a detention hearing, placed him slightly above the state’s 0.08 legal threshold.
The brothers were cycling on a rural road
Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, were riding along Pennsville-Auburn Road in Oldmans Township on the eve of their sister’s wedding. Both were struck and pronounced dead at the scene.
Their deaths prompted mourning across their family, local communities and professional hockey.
Prosecutors described impatient passing
Two drivers ahead of Higgins had slowed and moved left to pass the cyclists. Prosecutors alleged that Higgins passed one vehicle on the left, then attempted to pass the lead vehicle on the right, entering the area occupied by the brothers.
That reconstruction remained an allegation to be tested through evidence.
Alcohol was one part of the case
The state said Higgins had consumed beer before and while driving. A reported 0.087 reading exceeded the per se limit, but prosecutors also relied on witness accounts and driving behaviour.
Impairment prosecutions require reliable testing, timing and chain-of-custody evidence.
He faced two death-by-auto counts
Authorities charged Higgins with two counts of second-degree death by auto and related driving offences. Each count concerned a separate life lost.
A charge records the state’s accusation; Higgins retained the presumption of innocence unless convicted through plea or trial.
The court ordered continued detention
At the September hearing, prosecutors argued that Higgins posed a risk based on the alleged conduct and personal circumstances after the crash. A judge kept him in custody pending further proceedings.
Pretrial detention decides release conditions, not final guilt or punishment.
Johnny Gaudreau had a prominent NHL career
Known to fans as “Johnny Hockey,” he played for the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets, appeared in seven NHL All-Star Games and was admired for creative play despite his smaller stature.
Matthew also played professionally and later coached, but the brothers’ family roles mattered beyond their careers.
Road design and driver behaviour both matter
Drivers must allow safe clearance, wait when a pass is unsafe and anticipate cyclists on the shoulder. Impatience can turn seconds saved into irreversible harm.
Infrastructure such as protected lanes, lower speeds and clear shoulders can reduce reliance on perfect decisions by every road user.
BAC figures should not become spectacle
The difference between 0.087 and 0.08 is legally significant, but the human outcome cannot be explained by a number alone. Investigators needed to reconstruct speed, lane position, visibility and the sequence of passes.
News reports should avoid implying laboratory precision beyond the evidence disclosed in court.
The proceedings required both accuracy and empathy
The Gaudreau family lost two sons, brothers, husbands and fathers in one event. Public interest in a celebrated athlete intensified attention but did not change the legal standard.
The responsible account was clear: prosecutors alleged alcohol-impaired and aggressive driving, the accused remained jailed, and guilt had not yet been determined. Remembering the brothers and preventing similar deaths required patience on the road as well as patience with the judicial process.
