Hazing video shows 56 blindfolded pledges at University of Iowa fraternity
Police body camera footage released following a viral YouTube video shows a hazing scene at the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity house in Iowa City on Nov. 15, 2024, where officers found 56 blindfolded pledges in basement rooms; the university suspended the fraternity until summer 2029.
Hazing footage shows blindfolded pledges in basement
The footage captures Iowa City police, University of Iowa police and fire crews entering the fraternity house after a fire alarm on Nov. 15, 2024, and finding two dark rooms filled with young men, 56 in all, many blindfolded and several shirtless. Some of the men appeared covered in brown, white and red substances; one early account described ketchup and alcohol on some pledges.
As officers shone flashlights into the rooms, one can be heard saying, "You gotta see it from my perspective, what the f--- did I just walk into?" In the same footage another officer tells the group, "This stops here, guys. This is the police department. This stops here. Who is in charge?"
Police actions, an arrest and the university response
Officers asked whether anyone needed medical attention or was present against their will; those in the rooms responded in unison that no one was there against their will. The responding crews searched throughout the house and repeatedly asked to speak with someone "in charge, " but officers said no one pointed them to a responsible party.
During the response one individual shouted slurs at officers and repeatedly interrupted conversations; that person was arrested on a charge of interference with official acts, a charge that was later dropped. A man in a white hoodie identified himself as "Jose, " handed an ID to officers and told them, "I think it's fake, " while standing in a doorway holding a beer.
Suspension and public reaction
The university investigated the incident and suspended Alpha Delta Phi until summer 2029. The suspension followed the Nov. 15, 2024, discovery of the basement scene, and the school currently has three fraternities under suspension.
Since the body camera footage was released, edited clips have circulated widely online, drawing attention and comments from social media users. In one widely viewed clip a participant described the gathering as a "celebration of life, " and a fraternity officer who identified himself as the chapter president told officers the pledges had been taking part in "a ritual prior to initiation" that involved being blindfolded and "messed with. "
The fraternity remains suspended through summer 2029 and the university's sanctions are in effect as the next formal milestone in the case.
