As part of the investigation of the fatal crash that killed hockey players Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, New Jersey State Police released records and body camera footage of the accused driver, Sean Higgins, being arrested.
The nearly 10-minute video was released Friday evening and shows Higgins, 43, of Woodstown, New Jersey, within an hour after the collision that took the Gaudreau brothers' lives. In the video, officers confront Higgins, who admitted that he had been "drinking beers" earlier in the night. He takes a sobriety test before being handcuffed.
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The crash occurred in Oldsman Township on Aug. 29 around 8:19 p.m., and the bodycam recording began at 8:42 p.m. The Gaudreau brothers were pronounced dead around 8:37 p.m. They were due to be groomsmen in their sister's wedding in Philadelphia the subsequent day.
According to a crash report from police, per the Columbus Dispatch, Higgins drove 1,500 feet after the collision before stopping. Prosecutors say he had a blood alcohol level of .087%, above New Jersey's legal limit of 0.8%.
In the video, Higgins is standing in the dark outside his black Jeep Grand Cherokee. He tells officers that though he was drinking, he hadn't had a beer in "probably an hour or so" before the accident. Before a field sobriety test, Higgins tells police that he had knee surgery six days prior causing him to "(gimp) around."
Higgins says in the video that he is "freaked out" and tells police that he had "five or six" beers since noon that day. About seven minutes into the video, officers handcuff him.
He also asks the police: "Is everyone okay back there? I mean, what happened?" Officers reply by saying they'll tell him at the station.
The delay in releasing new reports relating to the case stems from New Jersey state law entitling victims' families to redact or withhold public records in the interest of privacy or health, which the Gaudreau family had requested. 911 calls relating to the crash from three witnesses were released, albeit heavily redacted, after a Nov. 21 protection order from a judge assuring their anonymity.
Higgins faces up to 20 years in prison if he is convicted. He is charged with two counts of death by auto, reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a vehicle. He is currently detained in Salem County Correctional Facility.