August 01, 2025
Danny Wild/Imagn Images
A 5K held in May to pay tribute to Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau raised more than $500,000 to support the construction of an accessible playground at Archbishop Damiano School in Westville. Above, the brothers are remembered at an NHL game in September.
The inaugural 5K run honoring the lives of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau raised more than $500,000 that will be used to build an accessible playground at a special education school in South Jersey.
The Gaudreau Family 5K Walk/Run and Family Day was held at Washington Lake Park in Gloucester County in May to pay tribute to the brothers, who were killed last August when a suspected drunk driver struck them from behind while they were on bicycles on the eve of their sister's wedding. Johnny, 31, was a veteran NHL player and Matthew, 29, was a former professional hockey player who went on to coach the men's team at Gloucester Catholic High School.
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The playground will be built at Archbishop Damiano School, a special education school in Westville. The Gaudreau brothers' mother and sister, Jane and Kristen, both work at the school. Their grandmother, Marie, worked there for 44 years before her death in 2023, the Associated Press reported.
Fundraising for the playground began nearly five years ago and was still far short of the $600,000 goal ahead of the 5K, which drew about 1,100 participants in person and another 1,100 virtually. The plan calls for a wheelchair accessible playground that includes ramps and transfer platforms for students. Archbishop Damiano serves students with Down syndrome and others with special needs.
A groundbreaking for the project is expected to take place by early September, with the start date for the community build tentatively set for Oct. 4, the Associated Press reported. The Gaudreau family already plans to hold another 5K in May.
Johnny Gaudreau played 10 full seasons in the NHL and was a seven-time All-Star. His wife, Meredith, was pregnant at the time of his death and gave birth to their third child in April. Matthew's widow, Madeline, also gave birth to the couple's first child in December.
The Aug. 29, 2024, crash in Oldmans Township happened less than 5 miles from where the Gaudreau brothers grew up in Carneys Point.
Sean Higgins, 43, was indicted by a grand jury in December on two counts of second-degree reckless vehicular homicide, two counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter, one count of tampering with evidence and one count of leaving the scene of a fatal accident. Higgins has pleaded not guilty and his next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 21.
