New images released Monday show the aftermath of the New Jersey crash that killed NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, in the summer of 2024.
The photographs were included in a recent court filing from attorneys representing Sean Higgins, the defendant accused of killing the brothers. They show the wreckage of the bicycles the siblings were riding at night, one day before their sister’s wedding.
The filing also contains photographs of the SUV Higgins was driving when prosecutors say he struck the brothers while intoxicated.
A diagram maps the alleged crash site. Higgins’ attorneys argue the evidence supports their claim that he was not driving recklessly before the collision.
Police say the brothers were riding on the shoulder when they were hit, while the defense maintains they were traveling in the roadway.
“There is no physical evidence that defines precisely where the point of impact was (either laterally or longitudinally) along the roadway,” a defense expert wrote in the court documents.
Defense attorneys in the case involving the deaths of hockey-playing brothers Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau released new photos from the crash scene
The image shows damage to the SUV driven by Sean Higgins after the crash
The photograph shows damage to one of the bicycles ridden by the brothers
“However, the location of the physical evidence established that the cyclists were within the northbound travel lane—and not on the extremely narrow shoulder—immediately prior to impact.
“An assumption that the cyclists were proceeding along the narrow shoulder is bizarre and inconsistent with science and logic.”
Higgins’ attorney also alleges that the Gaudreau brothers were riding without the required bicycle lights on a dark section of road.
“Even when simply accepting the police analysis at face value, it is unclear how this analysis establishes that Mr. Higgins was responsible for the occurrence of the subject collision event,” the defense expert stated.
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One of the photographs shows a Trek road bike with its rear wheel missing and its front wheel bent completely in half.
Another image shows a Cervelo triathlon bike with its saddle missing and rear wheel bent.
A photograph of Higgins’ black Jeep Grand Cherokee shows extensive front-end damage, including to the bumper, headlights, hood and quarter panels.
The images were made public as Higgins was scheduled to appear in court Monday afternoon in the case stemming from the fatal crash in the summer of 2024. He is accused of striking the brothers while driving drunk.
Another photograph shows the wreckage of one of the Gaudreau brothers’ bicycles
Higgins’ attorneys, pictured at right, say the evidence will help demonstrate that their client was not at fault
The defense team submitted the images with court papers filed October 5, arguing that Salem County prosecutors should provide the evidence they used to reconstruct the crash.
Higgins’ team is hoping to challenge the state’s diagnostics with their own expert’s analysis.
Higgins, 45, is set to stand trial on January 5. According to court records, he allegedly had a blood-alcohol content of .087, which is over the legal limit, when he struck the Columbus Blue Jackets star and his sibling in Oldmans Township on August 29, 2024. He was accused of passing another car before hitting the brothers.
Matthew had played college hockey alongside his brother at Boston College, but never made it to the NHL.
Johnny, meanwhile, was a seven-time All-Star and one of the best American skaters in the sport.
Following their deaths, the wives of both brothers gave birth to sons. Matthew’s wife Madeline gave birth to Tripp Gaudreau in December 2024, just four months after his father’s passing.
Over four months later, Johnny’s widow Meredith gave birth to their son Carter. She revealed that she was carrying the child during the funeral service for her late husband.
