Judge extends the time to indict the driver accused of killing Johnny Gaudreau and his brother

SALEM, N.J. (AP) — The driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, as they were cycling on a rural New Jersey road briefly appeared in court Tuesday, where the judge extended the window for prosecutors to seek an indictment.

The brief hearing, in which the judge granted prosecutors 30 additional days in which to seek formal charges in the Gaudreaus' Aug. 29 deaths, marked the first time the Gaudreau family and the 44-year-old defendant, Sean M. Higgins, faced one another in court. Previously, Higgins appeared at hearings via video from behind bars.

Authorities say Higgins, who is from Woodstown, in southwestern New Jersey, was impaired after he drank five or six beers on the day he drove into the brothers' bicycles, and that he has a history of road rage and aggressive driving.

Johnny Gaudreau, 31, and Matthew Gaudreau, 29, were killed near their childhood home in South Jersey on the eve of their sister's wedding. The family, including their father, Guy Gaudreau, declined to comment on the case Tuesday at the Salem County Courthouse.

Higgins told police that on the day of his arrest, he had been driving around for two hours while talking to a friend on the phone after having an upsetting conversation with his mother.

A driver who was in front of Higgins told police that Higgins had been driving aggressively. When she and the vehicle ahead of her slowed down and moved left to go around the cyclists, Higgins sped up and veered right, striking the Gaudreaus, she said.

Higgins had a blood-alcohol level of .087, which is above the state’s .08 legal limit, and he failed a field sobriety test, police said. He faces preliminary charges of two counts of death by auto, reckless driving, possession of an open container, and consuming alcohol in a vehicle.

Higgins faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of one of the death by auto counts. The judge said that made him a flight risk and ordered him jailed until the trial.

Defense lawyer Matthew Portella has called Higgins “a loving father of two daughters,” and a good person who “made a horrible decision that night.” Portella declined to comment after Tuesday's hearing.

Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the NHL and was set to start his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames.

Sean M. Higgins, right, the driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road, appears at the Salem County, N.J., Courthouse with his lawyer Matthew Portella, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Salem, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Sean M. Higgins, the driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road, appears at the Salem County, N.J., Courthouse, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Salem, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Sean M. Higgins, the driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road, appears at the Salem County, N.J., Courthouse, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Salem, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Sean M. Higgins, the driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road, appears at the Salem County, N.J., Courthouse, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Salem, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Sean M. Higgins, the driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road, appears at the Salem County, N.J., Courthouse, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Salem, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Sean M. Higgins, the driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road, appears at the Salem County, N.J., Courthouse, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Salem, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Sean M. Higgins, left, the driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road, listens to lawyer Richard Klineburger during an appearance at the Salem County, N.J., Courthouse, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Salem, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Sean M. Higgins, right, the driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road, appears at the Salem County, N.J., Courthouse with his lawyer Matthew Portella, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Salem, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn speaks during an appearance for Sean M. Higgins, the driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road, appears at the Salem County, N.J., Courthouse, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Salem, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Judge Michael Silvanio speaks during an appearance for Sean M. Higgins, the driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road, at the Salem County, N.J., Courthouse, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Salem, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Sean M. Higgins, the driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road, is flanked by his layers, Matthew Portella, left, and Richard Klineburger, right, at the Salem County, N.J., Courthouse, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Salem, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man who worked for the U.S. government has been charged with leaking classified information assessing Israel's earlier plans to attack Iran, according to court papers filed Wednesday.

The man, identified as Asif William Rahman, was arrested by the FBI this week in Cambodia and was due to make his first court appearance in Guam.

He was indicted last week in U.S. court in Virginia on two counts of willful transmission of national defense information — felony charges that can carry significant prison sentences.

It was not immediately clear whether Rahman had a lawyer or which federal agency employed him, but officials say he had a top-secret security clearance with access to sensitive compartmented information.

The charges stem from the documents, attributed to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, appearing last month on a channel of the Telegram messaging app. The documents noted that Israel was still moving military assets in place to conduct a military strike in response to Iran’s blistering ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1.

Israel carried out a retaliatory attack on multiple sites in Iran in late October.

The documents were sharable within the “Five Eyes,” which are the United States, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

The emergence of the documents triggered an FBI investigation that examined how the documents were obtained — including whether it was an intentional leak by a member of the U.S. intelligence community or obtained by another method, like a hack — and whether any other intelligence information was compromised. Officials also worked to determine who had access to the documents before they were posted.

The New York Times was first to report his arrest.

FILE - The FBI's J. Edgar Hoover headquarters building is seen in Washington on Nov. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

FILE - The FBI seal is pictured in Omaha, Neb., Aug. 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)