The man accused of hitting NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother in August while they were cycling appeared unaware of the seriousness of the incident when police arrested him a short time later.
"Is everybody OK back there? I mean, what happened?" Sean Higgins asked after being handcuffed and read his rights.
"We'll cover that when we get to the station," the officer replies.
New Jersey State Police released a video of Higgins' arrest following the incident, which claimed the lives of Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew. Gaudreau, known as "Johnny Hockey," signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets two seasons ago and led the team in points.
The two brothers were on a bike ride on County Route 551 in Oldmans Township when Higgins attempted to pass a vehicle on the right and struck them, CBS News reported. The brothers were in the area spending time with family members the night before their sister's wedding.
A New Jersey grand jury indicted Higgins, 43, of Woodstown, New Jersey with two counts of second-degree reckless vehicular homicide, two counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter, fourth-degree tampering with evidence, and second-degree leaving the scene of a fatal accident, NBC 4 in Columbus, Ohio reported.
In the arrest video, Higgins indicates he was on his way back from Taco Bell. He then performs several sobriety tests and, at the end of them, tells officers that he's had "five or six beers" since about noon. He also says it's been an hour or two since he stopped drinking.
The officer also asks Higgins if he's injured in any way. Higgins says he's not injured, but he also lets officers know that he recently had knee surgery.
"I'm freaked out," Higgins says.
NBC 4 reported that police have said that Higgins had a blood alcohol level of 0.087, just above the 0.08 legal limit.
Gaudreau played 11 seasons in the NHL. His brother Matthew Gaudreau also played hockey professionally before he became coach of Gloucester Catholic High School in New Jersey in 2022.
