Frantic 911 calls from Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau’s deaths released despite family’s injunction

On Thursday, a grand jury has indicted drunken driver Sean Higgins on a litany of charges relating to the deaths of Matthew and Johnny Gaudreau.Matthew and Johnny Gaudreau were both killed after Higgins allegedly struck them down with his Jeep Grand Cherokee. The brothers were cycling on Country Route 551 in Oldmans Township, NJ when Higgins allegedly made an illegal pass and hit the brothers who were on the right side of the road.

Higgins failed a sobriety test from police and admitted to drinking “five or six beers” prior to the crash. Higgins was arrested on site and has been housed at the Salem County Correctional Facility since his arrest in August. Last month he was deemed a flight risk and was ordered to remain in jail until the trial, which is scheduled to begin January 7th, 2025.

Along with the indicaments came other details that were made available in recent days, including body cam footage of Higgins’ arrest at the crash site.

The Salem County Sheriff’s Office also released 911 audio from the night the Gaudreau brothers were killed.

“I just witnessed a hit and run of two people on bikes,” one caller told the dispatcher. The caller later corrected the statement, saying the driver had pulled over to the side of the road.

The dispatcher asked, “Is anybody hurt?”

“Yes, they are both on the ground,” the caller said.

When investigating further on the conditions of the victims, the caller said, “It’s dark, we can’t see.”

It is sad to imagine what the Gaudreau family will feel upon hearing the calls and what witnesses saw when both Johnny and Matthew died at the scene of the crash.

Last month, it was reported that the estates of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau had filed a request with a New Jersey court to bar the release of those calls.The estate had also filed the same request for any crash reports, investigative reports and autopsy reports that media outlets have requested.

Higgins is charged with two counts of death, and also charged with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle, meaning Higgins could face up to 20 years in prison.

Johnny was 31 years old at the time of his death, while Matthew was 29. Meredith Gaudreau is pregnant with the couple’s third child as the couple shared daughter Noa and son Johnny. Matthew Gaudreau’s wife, Madeline, is also expecting a child, the couple’s first, a son due this month, who will be named Tripp.