Accused driver in Johnny Gaudreau crash called impact 'harder than a deer' in police interview
The driver accused of being under the influence at the time of the fatal August 2024 crash that killed Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, told New Jersey state police hours after the crash he didn't know what he had hit but the impact was "harder than a deer."
During a daylong Oct. 29 hearing in Salem County Superior Court, the taped interview 44-year-old Sean Higgins gave to New Jersey State troopers was publicly played for the first time.
Higgins is charged with reckless vehicular homicide, aggravated manslaughter and other charges in connection with the Aug. 29, 2024, crash in which Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, died.
Four troopers who had interactions with Higgins on the night of the crash testified before Salem County Superior Court Judge Michael Silvanio during the hearing.
Attorneys for Higgins have asked Silvanio to bar statements Higgins made to police on the night of the crash from any potential trial, saying police violated his Miranda rights. Silvanio said the attorneys in the case will give their closing arguments about whether the statements should be excluded on Nov. 10, after which he will make a decision.
During the hearing, Silvanio heard the approximately hour-long interview Higgins gave to troopers about four hours after the crash.
In the recording, Higgins can be heard being read his Miranda rights, verbally acknowledging them and signing a card saying he understood he had the right to an attorney and to not answer any questions. Higgins then answered questions about the crash.
Troopers told Higgins before beginning their questioning that the two bicyclists, who were not identified as the Gaudreaus at the time, had died.
When asked about what specifically happened, Higgins said he didn't know what he had struck after the crash, saying the impact of his Jeep with the Gaudreau brothers was "pretty instantaneous" after he had re-entered the right lane of traffic.
"I was probably crossing the median when I struck them," Higgins said, calling the impact "harder than a deer or something."
"It was impact, panic, no idea what I just hit and that's it," Higgins said.
Higgins said he had tried to pass two vehicles in front of him because they were driving slowly. When the first vehicle moved to the left, Higgins said he thought that driver was cutting him off, at which point he cut back over to the right and hit the brothers. He said after impact his car "went dead" and he was "rolling in neutral."
Higgins' Jeep stopped about a quarter mile from the crash site.
Higgins said he tried to call 911, but the call would not connect. When asked by investigators, he confirmed that he had been drinking beers while driving and threw empty beer cans into a cornfield where his car had stopped because he was panicked.
Higgins said his consumption of beer while driving had an impact on his impatience but said multiple times it had nothing to do with his driving.
Troopers asked Higgins if they could look at his cellphone to determine a clear timeline on when Higgins made the phone calls he described, at which point Higgins asked if he should have a lawyer and said, "I feel like I need a lawyer."
Higgins' attorneys questioned one of the troopers in the interrogation about whether that was a specific request by Higgins to get an attorney.
Within a few minutes, according to the recording played in court, Higgins continued talking with troopers, saying he would talk to them regardless of what happened with his phone. Troopers re-read Higgins his rights, which Higgins again verbally acknowledged and signed a card stating he understood.
After being read his rights the second time during the interrogation, Higgins was asked specifically if the Gaudreau brothers were in the narrow shoulder area on the Oldsman Township road where the crash happened.
"They're in the (expletive) road," Higgins said. "I didn't even see like 'oh, there's bikers ahead of me."
At a prior hearing, Silvanio denied a motion from Higgins' attorneys to suppress evidence collected from the Jeep Higgins was driving at the time of the crash.
Higgins rejected a plea offer in January that would have resulted in a 35-year prison sentence.
What happened in crash that killed Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau?
Around 8:20 p.m. on Aug. 29, 2024, Higgins passed two vehicles while driving on a road in Oldmans Township, New Jersey. Both of those vehicles had slowed down after seeing the Gaudreau brothers, who were bicycling on the road's shoulder one in front of the other, according to court and police records.
Higgins told troopers at the crash site he tried to pass the other vehicles who were driving between 30 and 40 mph.
The brothers had been in town to attend their sister's wedding, which was scheduled for the next day.
According to court records, Higgins said he passed a car on the left after becoming impatient and then saw a Ford Bronco move over to the left ahead of him. Court records say Higgins believed that driver was trying to block his passing, which led him to go back into the right lane, where he crashed into the bicycling Gaudreau brothers. He told troopers he had consumed several beers before and while driving, court records say.
Higgins continued along the road after the crash, telling police he did not initially know what he had struck. Court records say his Jeep came to a stop about 1,500 yards away from the location where the crash happened.
More: How the Columbus Blue Jackets continue to keep Johnny Gaudreau's spirit alive
In a formal statement to New Jersey State Police that same night, Higgins told investigators he had been returning home from getting food and said the two vehicles in front of him were going 20 to 30 mph.
Court records say a blood test performed the night of the crash found Higgins' blood alcohol level to be 0.087, above the legal limit.
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@dispatch.com or on Bluesky at @bethanybruner.dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Sean Higgins evidence hearing to continue in November
