Police bodycam video shows Sean Higgins' arrest after crash that killed Gaudreau brothers
Body-worn camera video from New Jersey State Police obtained by CBS News Philadelphia shows the arrest of Sean Higgins, the man accused of fatally striking NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew while they were riding bicycles in South Jersey, on the night of Thursday, Aug. 29.
Born in Salem and raised in Carneys Point Township, New Jersey, Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Gaudreau were spending time with family on the night before their sister's wedding when they went out for a bike ride.
Police said the two Gaudreau brothers were on County Route 551 in Oldmans Township when Higgins attempted to pass a slower vehicle on the right and struck the cyclists.
Johnny Gaudreau, a former Calgary Flames winger who went on to the Columbus Blue Jackets, was mourned across the league along with his brother, who played in the AHL and ECHL.
Both played at Boston College after hockey careers at Gloucester Catholic High School – where Matthew went on to become head coach of the boys' ice hockey team.
Bodycam video shows driver moments after crash that killed Gaudreau brothers
This body-worn camera video is a first look at Higgins just moments after the deadly crash.
Higgins, 43, who is from Woodstown, New Jersey, was previously ordered by a judge to remain in the Salem County Correctional Facility before a potential trial.
In the obtained video, police ask where Higgins was coming from. Higgins replies he was coming from Taco Bell in Pennsville and before that, he was at his house. State police ask how much he's had to drink today to which he answers, "I mean I've been drinking beers but I haven't had one in like two hours. So since the accident, like probably an hour or so."
Before any sobriety tests began, Higgins tells police he had surgery on his knee the week before.
Police then instruct him to lean against the police vehicle while they have him follow the direction of the tip of their pen. In the video, police ask if he has any problems with his eyes and Higgins says no.
State police asked again if he suffered any injuries from that crash to which Higgins replied, "I'm just freaked out."
Higgins is next instructed to line up against the yellow line in the middle of the road and police ask about his knee surgery.
"You mentioned surgery to your knee, how long ago was that?" asked police.
"Friday," Higgins said.
"Friday, is it affecting you right now?" police asked.
"I mean I'm gimping around, yeah," he responds.
Higgins then undergoes a walk-and-turn sobriety test along the yellow line, followed by a one-leg stand. During the one-leg standing test, Higgins puts his foot back down a few times before saying, "I'm sorry, I'm just freaked out. Like what am I supposed to be doing again?"
State police ask him again about the timeline of his last drink. Higgins responds saying he's had five to six beers since noon that day.
The video shows police handcuffing Higgins and reading him his rights.
The video concludes with Higgins asking the police, "Is everybody okay back there, I mean what happened?" Police tell him they'll talk about that when they get back to the station.
During a detention hearing on Friday, Sept. 13, prosecutors argued that Higgins should stay behind bars because the case was a matter of "impatience, anger and recklessness."
Prosecutors said, Higgins finished work at about 3 p.m. on the day of the crash and began drinking alcohol and had an upsetting conversation about a family matter and later had a long phone call with a friend.
Prosecutors also said lab reports showed Higgins had a blood alcohol level of .087 at the time of the crash,
which is above the state's .08 legal limit.
He faces preliminary charges of two counts of death by auto, reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a vehicle.
Higgins faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. A judge previously said that made him a flight risk and ordered him jailed until the trial.
