An 18-year-old college student died Saturday after collapsing during an alleged hazing event at the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house, located about a mile from the Northern Arizona University (NAU) campus in Flagstaff.

Police reported that the young man was found He was unconscious at 8:44 am, and people who were in the house tried to resuscitate him using CPR before the arrival of the officers. However, the student was not breathing and was pronounced dead despite the efforts of emergency services.

Recruitment Event and Alcohol Consumption

The preliminary investigation determined that the victim had attended a fraternity recruitment event the previous night, where several people, including the victim, consumed alcohol, according to authorities.

According to the Arizona Daily Sun, the event was advertised as an “invited guests only dinner,” coinciding with the close of spring recruitment at NAU, a stage in which new members typically formally join fraternities.

Arrests and Charges

Police arrested three 20-year-old students, members of the Delta Tau Delta executive board:

The three were booked into the Coconino County Detention Center and face hazing-related charges, while the official report from the Medical Examiner's Office is awaited to determine the exact cause of death. death.

Testimonies and shock in the community

Neighbors in the area indicated that parties at the fraternity house were frequent. Don P., a nearby resident, said he had seen ambulances on previous occasions, but the magnitude of Saturday's emergency response indicated to him that it was something serious.

“There were two ambulances, five patrol cars, a fire truck… I knew something was very wrong,” he recounted.

University students expressed their dismay and called the tragedy preventable. “He was in his second semester, he hadn't even finished his first year,” one of them lamented.

University Measures and Background

In a statement,the university expressed its sadness for the student's death and reiterated that doing so has no place at NAU. The Delta Tau Delta fraternity has been suspended from campus, and the case will be reviewed under internal disciplinary processes, independent of the criminal justice system. The institution also announced psychological support and counseling services for students and staff. For his part, the fraternity's international executive director, Jack Kreman, prohibited the local chapter from conducting any activities while the investigation proceeds and reiterated the organization's absolute rejection of hazing. This case adds to a series of previous sanctions against fraternities and student groups at NAU for hazing practices, alcohol consumption, and dangerous behavior. Several Greek organizations have been suspended in recent years, some for periods of up to five years.