PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — New details are emerging from the night NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed. KYW Newsradio newsgathering partners at NBC10 have obtained body camera video of the arrest of Sean Higgins, 43, the man accused of hitting and killing the South Jersey brothers while drunk.
Police: “No problems with your eyes?”
Higgins: “No”
Police: “And you’re not injured as a result of the accident?”
Higgins: “I’m just freaked out””
The video from Aug. 29 shows Higgins standing and smoking a cigarette while officers question him and run various field sobriety tests.
Higgins: “Sorry. I’m just freaked out. What am I supposed to be doing again?”
Police: “Counting out loud until I tell you to stop.”
Higgins: “Okay. One thousand one …”
Higgins told police he drank five or six beers that day before the accident.
At the end of the nearly 10-minute video, after Higgins is placed in handcuffs, he turns to the arresting officer to ask, "Is everyone okay back there? I mean, what happened?"
The officer responds, “We’ll talk about that when we get to the station.”
Johnny Gaudreau, 31, and Matthew Gaudreau, 29, died that night after being struck by a car while biking. Police say Higgins was trying to pass an SUV when he hit the brothers around 8 p.m.
It was the night before their sister's wedding.
The brothers grew up in Carneys Point Township in South Jersey, and went to Gloucester Catholic High School. The family was a fixture in the region's hockey community.
Both played hockey at Boston College, where “Johnny Hockey,” as he was known, took home the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA's best player and won a national championship his freshman year, before going on to a decorated career with the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets.
He was about to enter his third season with the Blue Jackets. On Tuesday, the Flames and Jackets played their first game against each other since Johnny’s death, and honored the Gaudreaus before the game.
Higgins remains behind bars and is facing several charges including two counts of death by auto.