On Thursday night (August 29), Johnny Gaudreau, 31, of the National Hockey League (NHL), and his brother Matthew, 29, perished while riding bicycles in Oldmans Township, Salem County, New Jersey.
The New Jersey State Police reported that a suspected intoxicated driver struck the couple with a car.
The boys were riding their bikes along County Route 551 at 8:00 pm when a guy driving a Jeep hit them, according to additional police reports from CBS News Philadelphia.
Sean M Higgins, the driver, was arrested and charged with two counts of death by automobile, according to PEOPLE.
Higgins allegedly told police he had ‘five to six drinks’ before the incident. Adding to the sorrow, Johnny and Matthew passed away the day before their sister’s wedding, for which they were groomsmen.
According to Page Six, their sister, Katie Gaudreau, and her fiancé, Devin Joyce, had scheduled their wedding for Friday (August 30) at the Parish of St. Mary in Gloucester City, New Jersey.
The bride and groom-to-be clearly canceled their wedding following the sad news.
Katie uploaded photos of herself and her fiancé on Facebook with the message, “Wedding Week!!,” only three days before her brothers died. Who is informing these 16 and 17-year-olds that they are getting married in four days? “I can’t wait to marry my best friend!”
The pair have known each other since school.
Many admirers have subsequently left comments on the page, emphasizing how tragic the situation is and giving sympathies for the death of her brothers.
Meanwhile, Katie has been documenting her wedding celebrations on social media for the previous month, including photos from her bachelorette party in August and bridal shower in July.
The Gaudreau family issued a statement earlier today, saying, “Last night, we lost two husbands, two fathers, two sons, two brothers, two sons and brothers-in-law, two nephews, two cousins, two family members, two teammates, two friends, but truly two amazing humans.”
“We would want to let everyone know that we have received your words of love and support, and we appreciate your continuous thoughts and prayers.
“We beg for your continued respect and privacy during this terrible time of loss. The Gaudreau, Morris, Korbitz, Venello, and Joyce families extend their heartfelt condolences.
