A Salem County judge has refused to dismiss the criminal charges against Sean M. Higgins, the man accused of striking and killing NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew during a 2024 bicycle ride.
Disputed Blood‑Alcohol Evidence
During the grand jury proceedings, Higgins’s defense team argued that the prosecution had misrepresented his blood‑alcohol level, pointing out that a serum sample had inflated the reading. They contended that the true level was 0.075 percent, below the 0.08 percent threshold that defines legal intoxication in New Jersey.
Prosecutors, however, maintained that witness accounts and Higgins’s failure to stop after the collision demonstrated a reckless disregard for human life, and they cited a measured blood‑alcohol concentration of 0.087 percent as evidence of impairment.
Charges and Legal Standard
Higgins now faces two counts of first‑degree aggravated manslaughter, among several other offenses. Under New Jersey law, aggravated manslaughter requires proof that the defendant acted with recklessness under circumstances that manifest an extreme indifference to human life, a threshold the court found the evidence could meet.
Judge Michael Silvanio ruled that the material presented to the grand jury was sufficient to proceed, rejecting the motion to dismiss and setting the stage for a pretrial conference scheduled for June 16.
Looking Ahead
The case will return to Salem County Superior Court later this month, where both sides will outline their strategies ahead of a potential trial. The outcome will hinge on how the disputed intoxication evidence is interpreted by a jury.