A Columbus sports radio host ripped into his bosses live on air for insisting on advertising Coors Light beer less than 24 hours after Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau was killed by an alleged drunk driver.
Gaudreau, a 31-year-old NHL veteran, and his younger brother Matthew, 29, died on Thursday night after being struck by a vehicle while out cycling in New Jersey on the eve of their sister Katie’s wedding.
The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of Woodstown, has been charged with two counts of vehicular homicide with no bail or bond.
In documents seen by DailyMail.com, Higgins admitted to cops that he drank ‘5-6 beers’ before getting behind the wheel of his Jeep Grand Cherokee and crashing into the Gaudreau brothers.
The morning after the fatal accident, Columbus radio host Marc ‘Chops’ Finch lost his cool after receiving complaints about a bucket of Coors Light beers being placed in the shot during Friday’s YouTube simulcast of 97.1 The Fan’s ‘Bishop and Friends’.
A Columbus sports radio host (pictured) ripped into his bosses live on air for insisting on advertising Coors Light beer after Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau’s tragic death
Gaudreau (pictured), a 31-year-old NHL veteran, and his younger brother Matthew, 29, died on Thursday night after being struck by a vehicle while out cycling in New Jersey
In a furious rant live on air, Finch pointed the finger at ‘upper management’ running the show after claiming they insisted on keeping the beers in shot despite Thursday’s tragedy.
‘Let’s do this right now… sorry, Coors Light is on display,’ he said. ‘Somebody said that in the YouTube chat right now. Send the emails to upper management.
‘The show before us, I respect [them], they took that down. Management wanted it back up.
‘Send it to them. Not me. I have to sit here next to it; I don’t want to today.’
Johnny, who was about to enter his third season with the Blue Jackets, and Matthew, a professional hockey player in the ECHL, were set to be groomsmen at their sister’s wedding before the horror crash. The wedding was subsequently cancelled on Friday.
The crash happened less than three miles from the Gaudreau family home, hours before Katie was due to marry partner Devin Joyce.
Sean M. Higgins, 43, admitted to cops that he had five to six drinks before getting behind the wheel and crashing into the Gaudreau brothers
The crash happened less than three miles from Matthew (left) and Johnny’s family home
Higgins collided with the two brothers after veering into the southbound lane to overtake the vehicles in front of him
Higgins, a decorated US Army officer and father of two, was two cars behind the Gaudreau brothers, driving north on County Road 551, when he veered into the southbound lane to overtake the vehicles in front of him. He passed one with ease and was about to overtake the second – an SUV – when its driver veered into the middle of the road to safely pass Johnny and Matthew.
He then cut back into the northbound lane – knocking them both down and killing them.
On Friday, police released a photo of him looking glassy-eyed in his mugshot after he was arrested and charged.
Higgins then made his first court appearance on Friday in Salem County Court via video link, where he outrageously appeared to sigh in frustration after being ordered to stay in custody until next Thursday.
After being told by judge Michael J. Silvanio that he must remain in jail for another six days, he could be heard asking in apparent disbelief: ‘So… I’m here until Thursday?’
Silvanio then explained that the usual 72-hour holding period was being extended due to the holiday weekend, prompting Higgins to lean back in his chair and let out a heavy sigh – despite the fact he is facing two counts of second degree vehicle manslaughter.
Johnny leaves behind wife Meredith (right) and their two children; daughter Noa (second from right), one, and six-month-old son Johnny (second from left)
Matthew’s tragic death came just over three years after he married wife Madeline (right)
He appeared on the video link wearing a dark-green vest with velcro on the shoulders and a bandage on his wrist and appeared expressionless as the judge recounted how the accident claimed the lives of the Gaudreau brothers.
Johnny’s wife Meredith broke her silence on Saturday following the devastating loss of her husband and brother-in-law.
Along with a selection of photos of the couple and their two children – daughter Noa, one, and six-month-old son Johnny – Meredith wrote: ‘The absolute best dad in the world. So caring and loving.
‘The best partner to go through parenthood with. John never missed a single appointment. Was the best at putting the baby to sleep and the Apple of Noa’s eye. I love how much she looks like him.
‘We are going to make you proud. We love you so so so much daddy’.
Meredith paid tribute to Johnny in a heartbreaking Instagram post on Saturday after his death
She described the Blue Jackets star as ‘the absolute best dad’ while sharing family photos
It has also emerged that Matthew’s wife Madeline is currently pregnant with their first child
Meredith and Johnny tied the knot in September 2021, one year after the hockey player proposed.
They welcomed first child, daughter Noa, in October 2022 before son Johnny was born in February of this year.
Johnny’s brother Matthew, meanwhile, leaves behind wife Madeline just over three years on from their wedding.
To add to the tragedy, it has been revealed that Madeline is currently pregnant with the couple’s first child.
A GoFundMe page set up to support Madeline in her pregnancy after Matthew’s death reached the $300,000 mark on Saturday.
