Two members of an unaccredited University of Wisconsin-Madison fraternity were arrested and charged Wednesday with hazing and disorderly conduct after an anonymous tip led local police to an off-campus chapter — where dozens of injured, half-nude pledges were found in the basement.
“Inside the basement of the residence, officers found around 30 other partially clothed males covered in food, condiments, and other liquids,” the Madison Police Department confirmed Thursday in a statement, adding that “the vast majority of those in attendance” were 18 years old.
The statement continued, “Several of these men had visible injuries consistent with being physically assaulted. A thermostat in the room was set to 81 degrees creating hot and humid conditions. Officers declared the event unlawful and everyone was escorted outside.”
Officers had been dispatched to the 100 block of Langdon Street in Madison after receiving a tip about the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, which has reportedly been unrecognized and unaccredited by the university since 2015 — but has nonetheless continued functioning.
“Since this chapter continues to be recognized by its national organization, it is legally allowed to operate as a fraternity chapter unaffiliated with the university,” the school noted in a statement Thursday, adding it “takes all incidents involving our community seriously.”
Responding officers arrived around 8:20 p.m. and found the apparent hazing ritual.
Brayden J. Klein and Samuel N. Vane, both 20, were booked at the Dane County Jail after the incident. Police said that the fraternity’s president and vice president were present at the scene that night and spoke to responding officers.
Alpha Epsilon Pi was founded as a Jewish fraternity in 1913. It was suspended from the university in 2013 for hosting a party that resulted in a minor and one other person requiring alcohol detoxification, according to university records cited by The Associated Press.
Police said many of the victims had “visible injuries consistent with being physically assaulted.”
Madison Police Department
The university officially terminated the fraternity in 2015 for continuing to hold events despite the suspension. Spokesperson Jon Pierce told the AP that Alpha Epsilon Pi is taking these latest allegations “very seriously” and will fully cooperate with all formal investigations.
“Hazing is a betrayal of everything our fraternity stands for,” Pierce told CBS News. “There is no place for it in AEPi. No exceptions. No excuses. We educate our members about their responsibility to ‘Be Your Brothers’ Keeper.’ This is not an optional value.”
While none of the pledges were found deceased Thursday, hazing rituals have resulted in an average of five deaths per year across the U.S. — with nearly 130 hazing-related fatalities reported since 2000, according to research and advocacy website HazingInfo.org.
The Madison Police Department said the investigation is ongoing.