Hazing shut down a Rutgers fraternity — but no criminal charges will be filed in NJ

⚠️ Prosecutors have closed the investigation into an accused Rutgers fraternity hazing incident.

➡️ A 19-year-old student was hospitalized after being critically hurt in October.

🔴 The fraternity chapter shut down permanently, but no criminal charges were filed.

NEW BRUNSWICK — Seven months after a disconnected 911 call was the first sign of an accused hazing emergency at a fraternity house at Rutgers University, the investigation is closed.

On Oct. 15, police found a 19-year-old student critically hurt, unconscious and being loaded into a private vehicle at the Alpha Sigma Phi house along College Avenue in New Brunswick.

After being hospitalized for a week, the Matawan resident’s condition had improved to better than critical, police confirmed.

His identity has remained private, as no other details were ever shared publicly.

Rutgers fraternity chapter shut down after hazing investigation

“Based on our investigation, hazing did occur and as a result, the fraternity made the decision to close the chapter,“ Alpha Sigma Phi President and CEO Gordy Heminger said in a previous statement to New Jersey 101.5 on Oct. 24.

"Any member involved, directly or indirectly, will be permanently expelled," he added.

In January, the national fraternity announced its intention to sue all the individuals involved.

No criminal charges were ultimately pursued, according to an update this week.

“The investigation has been closed out, we have no updates to provide at this time,” a spokesperson for the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office said to New Jersey 101.5.

Read More: Inside fraternity shutdown at Rutgers after serious hazing incident 

A civil suit appeared imminent, now that the criminal investigation is wrapped.

"Alpha Sigma Phi was waiting for the conclusion of the criminal investigation and now that it has apparently concluded, Alpha Sigma Phi is resolute in their commitment to member health and safety and accountability for those who violate health and safety guidelines," Heminger said in a written response to New Jersey 101.5.

Over the rest of the school year, a second fraternity chapter, Kappa Sigma, was ordered to shut down at Rutgers, while three others are on probation as of early June.

Read More: Rutgers hazing claim sparks fury from Penn State victim’s family

New Jersey strengthened hazing penalties in 2022

If criminal charges had been pursued, it would be a first test of the state's tougher, anti-hazing laws took effect in 2022.

Gov. Phil Murphy signed the law in a 2021 ceremony attended by New Jersey parents, Jim and Evelyn Piazza, whose 19-year-old son, Timothy, died in a fraternity hazing ritual at Penn State University in 2017.

The law makes hazing a third-degree crime if it results in death or serious bodily injury — or a fourth-degree crime, rather than a disorderly persons offense, if it results in bodily injury.

Since the Rutgers incident unfolded, the Piazzas have been vocal about wanting to see those laws applied.

“We are greatly disturbed by what happened to this young man and we are very disappointed to see posts by parents at Rutgers who are commenting on how bad their kids were hazed and yet no one ever reported,” Evelyn Piazza previously said in October to New Jersey 101.5.

“Parents are part of the problem if they aren’t speaking up to keep their kids and other kids safe,” she said.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom