NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother were killed on the eve of their sister’s wedding when they were hit by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles in their home state of New Jersey, police said Friday.
New Jersey State Police said the Gaudreau brothers were cycling on a road in Oldmans Township on Thursday night when a man driving an SUV in the same direction attempted to pass two other vehicles and struck them from behind about 8 p.m., less than a half-hour after sunset. They were pronounced dead at the scene some 35 miles south of Philadelphia.
Gaudreau, 31, and brother, Matt, 29, are Carneys Point, New Jersey, natives and were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding that was scheduled for Friday in Philadelphia.
Police said the driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins, was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.
Read More: https://apnews.com/article/johnny-gaudreau-35de1641d040f02ecd83a9638e6aca32
20 Comments
"…you could not have prevented this." You said this was unscripted and it's an incredibly tragic event to speak about publicly, but I disagree with this one statement. Let's be absolutely clear that one person could have prevented this, the one who decided to get behind the wheel while intoxicated.
A devastating loss for the Gaudreau family, friends and the hockey community. Perhaps telling WHY it happened & educating is the best way to honour the legacy of the brothers. This was NOT an accident as the driver who killed Johnny and his brother has been charged with vehicular homicide after he admitted to drinking before driving. Such a sad and likely preventable loss on so many levels for so many.
That part of New Jersey is known for drunken behavior. I had my fair share of drunk drivers there. I work as a bartender there during the summer. Trust me when I cut off one person, the person I cut off will just get another drink next door. Some of these bars/catering halls have no limits when serving alcohol. These places all see money 💰💰💰💰
This could have been avoided
If the loser was mature enough to not drive after drinking. He didn’t, he better be behind bars for the rest of his pathetic life
Lost for words – Tragic! – Prayers for the family, friends and the community.
– having lost a brother to drunk driving this cuts deep
Well stated video Brodie.
To try to honor the Gaudreaus, ALL sports should stop selling alcohol at ALL events for at least one night, if not permanently. As someone who grew up with an alcoholic father (alcohol is one of the triggers for PTSD in my life, a scar that will NEVER go away), I am disgusted when anyone's life is cut short by anyone who gets behind the wheel after "five or six beers" and who was drinking WHILE driving. And while the industry has as a tag line on their beer ads to "Plese Drink Responsively", the one sentence you never hear at a bar is, "Sir, you've had enough."😡
I really couldn't believe it… I watched him play while i lived in Calgary, and it was an absolute joy. This whole story is just beyond heartbreaking.
Your point about paying respect to Johnny's brother as much as Johnny himself is even more important when considering that Matthew's wife is due in 4 months! Now her child is going to grow up never seeing his/her father which makes this story that much worse.
Yeah Brodie… I don't ride road bike anymore for this reason… Terrible.. Now Reported by Grant C. 49ers Ricky Pearsall shot twice (in chest, then in back) in SF, Geary n Market for his Rollex. In critical condition…Robber ran away and then shot himself getting into his car, in hospital too.
As a daily cyclist , i usually ride 1-3 hours a day, 365–24-7. Bike vs 1 ton car ? It never ends well.
Time ⏲️ ⏳️ 🕐 and distance are required for families to cope. We just never forget the pain 😢. Life is short, and the journey through this world is very difficult . Blessing 🙌 and prayers 🙏 to all suffering through pain and anguish.
The moment i heard the news ,just got home and just hugged my daughter in my harms a little tighter and told my wife that i loved them both.REST IN POWER JOHNNY ""HOCKEY""GAUDREAU 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥May your Light in the night be a beocon of ""HOPE""For your family
What a horrible tragedy that happened. Sending strength to the family because I cannot imagine the pain they are going through. Brodie this was such a respectful and well thought video thank you
sadness and anger makes processing difficult The Mother must be beside herself i send a prayer to the Mother
it no longer matters what team you root for, what team you hate, what player is your favorite, what player you despise. we're all in this together.
We're all absolutely devastated. If you're not a Columbus fan it's hard to realize how much we loved #13. It's no secret that CBJ isn't exactly a winning organization…
But he chose us as a free agent. He loved our city. He was a true star player that had no ego. Loved to talk to fans. It's heartbreaking. RIP MG and #13.
Thank You for this.
I know this video came out a couple days ago I was just speechless I didn’t know what to say as a really big sports fan this breaks my heart RIP to Johnny and to his brother Matthew
My family has some Boston college ties. My nephew / godson grew up loving Boston college hockey and especially Johnny gaudreau. My uncle at the time worked at Boston college and got the entire hockey team to sign a bc jersey for him. My nephew now goes to the University of Tennessee, but at home he still has that shirt framed and on his wall. During that time when he got the shirt, I had also gotten him a framed autographed picture of Johnny gaudreau. That picture is on the wall to this day still. I couldn't imagine growing up and losing my idol. RIP
I was at the American Soldier Cemetery in Normandy when I received the news. The setting was appropriate considering the tragic shocking news.
I lost my best friend of 30yrs last Christmas Eve to a drunk driver…..herself. She had a blood alcohol of .326, over 4 times the legal limit. She was a liver transplant recipient & should have never even been drinking. I’m still so incredibly pissed at her, but I still miss my best friend.
My heart breaks for the Gaudreau family. Those poor babies that will grow up without their fathers just guts me.