New details confirm how Gaudreau brothers found themselves at the collision site
The new report is another heartbreak for the family.
Several days have passed since the tragedy that took the lives of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, but the pain and grief linger. The fatal incident took place on Thursday evening when Sean Higgins, 43, of Woodstown, New Jersey, was driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee north on County Route 551 and attempted to overtake another vehicle. He struck the Gaudreau brothers, both riding bicycles alongside one another on the shoulder side of the road. Johnny and Matthew were pronounced dead at the scene. Police reports say Higgins was intoxicated and charged with two counts of vehicular homicide.
This tragedy happened the day before their sister Katie’s wedding and new information on the tragedy continues to come out almost every day.
It has now been reported that the Gaudreau brothers found themselves at the collision site because they were cycling back home from the rehearsal dinner ahead of the wedding.
Johnny and Matthew were set to be groomsmen for Katie, who was supposed to get married on Friday, the day after their passing. TMZ reported that the 1:45 p.m. ceremony at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Gloucester City was canceled in light of the tragedy.
Every time a new detail emerges on this devastating tragedy, it makes it even sadder. We can only think of the Gaudreau family as this time.
Katie recently released a statement on her brothers’ deaths on her Instagram page, including pictures of her brothers posing with her and their parents, Guy andJane Gaudreau, as well as their other sister, Kristen.
“To know these two was to love these two,” Katie wrote. “There are absolutely no words I have to express the bond my family shared. The entire world knows there would never have been a John without Matty or Matty without John. The absolute best big brothers a little girl could have asked for. This will never be a goodbye post because I will never stop saying your names and honoring you both. I’ll take the best care of mom, dad, Kristen, Mer, Madeline, and your babies.”
Johnny, who played hockey for the Columbus Blue Jackets, is survived by his wife, Meredith, and their two children. Matthew, meanwhile, leaves behind wife Madeline, whom he wed in July 2021. Madeline is expecting the couple’s first baby in December.
