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NEW YORK (WCBS) — A Rutgers University fraternity has been shut down after an investigation found hazing occurred at an off-campus house where a student suffered serious injuries, the frat said.
Alpha Sigma Phi said Friday it was closing its Rutgers chapter after concluding hazing was a factor in the 19-year-old’s injuries at the home in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
“Any member involved, directly or indirectly, will be permanently expelled. We will continue to fully cooperate with the University and criminal investigations and hope the students involved face the maximum penalties allowed,” Gordy Heminger, president and CEO of Alpha Sigma Phi International, said in a statement to CBS News New York.
Police found the teenager unresponsive at the frat house on College Avenue just after midnight on Oct. 15.
The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed at the time it was investigating an incident there, but did not provide additional information about what happened.
After the fraternity announced the results of its own investigation, an official with the prosecutor’s office told CBS News New York it had no update on the incident and, “it is still under investigation.”
The official said the student remains hospitalized, but is no longer in critical condition.
Neither Rutgers nor county prosecutors have identified the teen.
It is unclear if the hazing incident was an isolated incident or if it was a regular practice that took place at the fraternity house.
Rutgers officials said the university is fully cooperating with the county prosecutor’s investigation.
Students react to hazing incident Some students who spoke to CBS News New York said the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity did not have the best reputation on campus.
“Nothing’s gonna change if these guys don’t face some serious punishments,” former Rutgers student Novle Avellino said. “I think there are some frats that can be run really well. Some others, if they’re not able to play by the rules and keep everyone safe, then I don’t know why they’re on campus.”
“I mean, I never thought it would get this bad, honestly. I never thought people would, like, get hurt,” Rutgers sophomore Jacob Buss said.
“You hear about it so much, but when it actually happens, like, this close to home, it’s like, wow, this is reality,” Rutgers sophomore Prithish Srinivasan said.
Despite the fraternity house being declared unsafe for human occupancy by the City of New Brunswick due to a number of building code violations, CBS News New York’s cameras captured at least one individual inside Friday evening.