Sean Higgins appears in New Jersey court on Thursday

The man arrested in the drunken driving crash that killed Columbus Blue Jacket Johnny Gaudreau and his brother the day before their sister’s wedding appeared briefly in a New Jersey courtroom Thursday morning.

Sean M. Higgins, 43, appeared in court in Salem County, New Jersey. Higgins faces several traffic charges and two counts of vehicular homicide in the Aug. 29 crash that killed Gaudreau, 31, and his brother, Matthew Gaudreau, 29.

Judge Michael Silvanio postponed the case until Sept. 13, when attorneys will submit additional documents to the judge on whether Higgins should remain in prison. New Jersey does not use cash bail like the system used in Ohio.

Higgins was the driver of a Jeep that hit the brothers as they were biking on County Road 551 in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, according to New Jersey State Police. He had a brief virtual court hearing Friday afternoon.

He has remained in the Salem County jail since the accident and was told not to discuss his case with anyone in the jail.

At the first hearing, Higgins wore a garment called a “safety smock,” which is often worn by detainees who express thoughts of self-harm.

Sean Higgins: Driver in suspected DUI crash that killed Blue Jackets’ Gaudreau was working at addiction rehab center

After explaining the charges and his rights, Higgins asked, “So, am I here until Thursday?”

How did Johnny Gaudreau and his brother die?

Johnny Gaudreau played two seasons for the Columbus Blue Jackets and eight seasons with the Calgary Flames before that. Matthew, who played with Johnny at Boston College, was a minor league hockey player.

The brothers were scheduled to be best men at their sister’s wedding on Friday.

Higgins told New Jersey State Police after the crash that he had consumed “five to six” beers, including while driving, according to court records. He said his aggressive driving was partly due to the alcohol he had consumed.

Police said Higgins was riding behind two vehicles on a county road when the crash occurred. He swerved left from center to pass one of the vehicles. The second vehicle swerved left to go around the Gaudreaus. Higgins swerved around the vehicle on the right to the side where the Gaudreaus were riding their bikes.

Both brothers died at the scene as a result of their injuries.

Police did not say how fast Higgins was going at the time of the crash.

Multiple news outlets reported that Higgins was arrested on DWI charges in North Carolina in 2005, but the charges were dropped because the officer in question failed to show up in court.

What were the effects of Johnny Gaudreau’s death?

The Gaudreau brothers’ deaths have had a far-reaching impact, with tributes pouring in from everyone from NBA star LeBron James to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. A fundraiser for Matthew Gaudreau’s wife, who is expecting the couple’s first child, had raised nearly $600,000 as of Wednesday afternoon.

Donations came from fans and hockey families, who donated $13 in tribute to Johnny Gaudreau’s jersey number.

Former Columbus Blue Jackets players Matt Duchene and Artemi Panarin also donated, as did NHL stars Matthew Tkachuk and current Blue Jackets players Zach Werenski and Erik Gudbranson. Gudbranson and both were co-captains on last year’s team.

Gudbranson played alongside Gaudreau in Calgary before joining Columbus in the 2022 offseason.

On Wednesday afternoon, Werenski, Gudbranson, Sean Kuraly and team captain Boone Jenner spoke about the loss of Gaudreau as a hockey player and as a person, discussing everything from his competitive spirit to the pasta he ate as a pregame meal, with no sauce and just butter.

The team said they will attend Gaudreau’s funeral, but funeral arrangements have not yet been finalized.

A candlelight vigil hosted by the team was held outside Nationwide Arena on Wednesday evening.

General manager Don Waddell said Wednesday that there have been some small discussions throughout the season about how to honor Gaudreau, but that most of those conversations will come later as the team works through the grieving process together.

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