Rutgers student injured at Alpha Sigma Phi, fraternity suspended following possible hazing incident

Rutgers University has placed Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity on probation and handed it a cease and desist order following the hospitalization of a student early Wednesday morning.

At 12:26 a.m., Rutgers Police arrived at Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity on College Ave following a disconnected 911 call, per a statement from the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office. When officers arrived, they had found a 19-year-old student who had been injured and unresponsive, who was then taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

In a statement to WRSU, Rutgers University said it was cooperating fully with law enforcement, and that Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office was leading the investigation. University leadership is in contact with the student’s family, offering support and hoping for his full recovery.

In an interview with NJ.com, the mother of a student who lived in the house said that the injury was a result of housing neglect, not hazing. The mother says her son and other brothers of the fraternity were at the house when a student was electrocuted after touching a live wire in the basement.

A group of students were listening to music in the dark when the injured student stepped on a live wire. Another student attempting to pull him away was also shocked, the mother said.

She added that fraternity members at first called 911, but then drove the injured student to the hospital themselves fearing a delay. This account contradicts the statement from the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.

The mother did not learn of these details until the next morning, after her son and around two dozen other fraternity members were taken to the police station and held overnight.

Unverified rumors circulated online that the student was initially hurt in an alleged hazing incident, specifically waterboarding, when the metal chair the student was sitting in came in contact with a live wire, but there has been no verification of hazing.

However, the mother said she does not believe hazing was involved, even though pledges were present. She instead pointed out the conditions of the building, saying that the “house has been in disrepair for years.”

According to records obtained by NJ Advance Media, the house had a history of safety violations and failed inspections, receiving a $10,000 fine earlier this year. In September, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs rescinded the house’s certificate of inspection.

A follow up report showed at least 19 open violations, including broken fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors as well as obstructed exits.

The house, managed by the national housing arm of Alpha Sigma Phi, was formally declared inhabitable days after the incident.

The national organization said it is conducting an investigation and will expel any member found of hazing. The national chapter of Alpha Sigma Phi says it put the chapter on an interim suspension and is conducting it’s own investigation.

In a statement to NBC New York, Gordy Heminger, president and CEO of Alpha Sigma Phi, said that “If it is determined by the Fraternity, the University or law enforcement that the undergraduate members hazed that evening, the chapter will be closed, any member who directly or indirectly participated in those activities will be permanently expelled and the Fraternity will encourage the University and law enforcement to pursue the maximum penalties allowed.”

There has been no official report of hazing by Rutgers officials, and the MCPO has not further commented on the incident.

The Rutgers chapter of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity has suspended its Instagram account.

UPDATE October 20, 2025: This story has been updated to include a statement from Rutgers University.