Authorities in New Jersey have made public audio recordings of the 911 calls made by witnesses in the frantic moments following a tragic hit-and-run incident that claimed the lives of NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother earlier this year.
On Friday, investigators also released body camera footage from the state troopers who arrived at the scene in Oldmans Township at the end of August.
Johnny Gaudreau, the 31-year-old late NHL forward, and his 29-year-old brother, Matthew, were cycling on the evening of August 29 when they were allegedly struck by 44-year-old Sean Higgins, a suspected drunk driver, on a rural road in Salem County after he passed a vehicle that had moved over to give them space.
“I just saw a hit-and-run involving two people on bikes,” one 911 caller reported, according to NJ.com, which obtained the audio and video tapes through records requests.
In the audio recordings, callers struggled with the darkness and initially had difficulty locating the brothers. Callers described the chaos as they tried to find the victims.
“Is anyone injured?” a dispatcher asked.
“Yes, both of them are on the ground,” the caller quickly responded.
Other 911 callers were unable to provide details about the brothers’ physical conditions due to poor visibility.
“It’s dark, we can’t see,” one caller explained.
Once the police arrived, the body camera footage showed state troopers questioning Higgins.
In the video, Higgins can be seen smoking a cigarette and remaining calm. He told the police that he was returning from Taco Bell.
“Where were you before Taco Bell?” the trooper asked.
“At my house,” Higgins replied.
Higgins later admitted to drinking beers but claimed he hadn’t had one in about two hours, and it had been about an hour since the accident.
Higgins mentioned feeling “freaked out” as he struggled with field sobriety tests.
“You mentioned it’s been about an hour since your last drink?” the trooper asked. Higgins stated he had consumed “like five or six” Miller Lites since noon that day.
After his arrest, Higgins inquired about the well-being of the victims, asking, “Is everybody OK back there? I mean, what happened?”
The trooper responded, “We’ll discuss that when we reach the station,” and then escorted Higgins to a waiting patrol car.
Both Gaudreau brothers were pronounced dead at the scene. Their sister Katie postponed her wedding, which was scheduled for the next day.
Higgins is facing charges of two counts of death by auto, reckless driving, possession of an open container, and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.
In September, Gaudreau’s family tried to prevent the release of the records through a court order, which was lifted in October.
Higgins, a major in the New Jersey Army National Guard, faces a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
He also worked for a substance abuse treatment network in Pennsylvania.
