NHL star Johnny Gaudreau, brother struck and killed while riding bikes in New Jersey

OLDMANS TOWNSHIP, N.J. - NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother were killed by a suspected drunk driver while riding bikes on a rural New Jersey road Thursday night.

Investigators say Johnny and Matthew were biking near the fog line on County Route 551 just after 8 p.m. when a Jeep Cherokee driven by Sean Higgins struck the brothers while trying to pass two slower-moving vehicles.

Authorities believe Higgins, 43, used the oncoming lane to pass a sedan and hit the cyclists when he re-entered the right lane. Investigators said the deadly collision happened when the SUV in front of Higgins moved to the middle of the roadway to safely pass the two cyclists and Higgins attempted to pass the SUV on the right.

Police say Higgins was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol, and was charged with two counts of death by auto. He is being held at the Salem County Correctional Facility.

The tragedy came hours before Johnny and Matthews' sister, Katie Gaudreau, was set to be married in Gloucester City with a reception to follow in Philadelphia. TMZ reports the wedding has been canceled.

The Gaudreau family released a statement Friday:

"Last night we lost two husbands, two fathers, two sons, two brothers, two sons and brothers in law, two uncles, two nephews, two cousins, two family members two teammates, two friends but truly two amazing humans. We want to let everyone know we are receiving your messages of love and support and we appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers. We ask for your continued respect and privacy during this very difficult period of grief."

Johnny Gaudreau, 31, played 11 NHL seasons, including nine with the Calgary Flames. For the past two seasons, Gaudreau has played with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Blue Jackets shared a statement on X that called the Gaudreaus death an "unimaginable tragedy."

"Johnny was not only a great hockey player, but more significantly a loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend," the statement read. "Johnny played the game with great joy which was felt by everyone that saw him on the ice."

Nicknamed "Johnny Hockey," the former Boston College standout was a native of Salem, New Jersey and attended Gloucester Catholic High School in Gloucester City.

His 29-year-old brother, Matthew Gaudreau, played with Johnny at Boston College and Gloucester Catholic. He played in the 2021-2022 season for the Worcester Railers and formerly for the Reading Royals.

"Johnny and Matt truly loved Gloucester Catholic, and the entire Gaudreau family have always been loyal and dedicated supporters of Gloucester Catholic," a statement from Gloucester Catholic read in-part. "Along with their incredible talents on the ice they will be remembered even more by our GC Family as loving sons, brothers, fathers, husbands, friends and role models.

"Gaudreau often told the story of how his father taught him to skate as a child in his home state of New Jersey, and he carried that same youthful passion throughout his 11 NHL seasons," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said.

Their father, Guy Gaudreau, spent over a decade as a hockey coach at Gloucester Catholic.

A GoFundMe campaign has been established to help Matthew's widow, Madeline, in advance of the birth of the couple's first child, who they named Tripp.