Disturbing video of an alleged hazing incident at the University of Iowa is going viral online, showing college-aged pledges blindfolded in a basement and covered in unknown substances.
The body camera video shows officers from the Iowa City police and fire departments and the University of Iowa police responding to a fire alarm at the Alpha Delta Phi’s fraternity house on Nov. 15, 2024, according to the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
In body camera footage obtained by Fox News Digital, police and firefighters can be seen arriving at the house and entering the basement, where they found 56 blindfolded young men.
Some of the men appear to be shirtless, with many of them covered in brown, white and red substances.
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The video shows officers attempting to make sense of the situation, while asking for the person in charge.
“This stops here, guys,” an officer is heard saying. “This is the police department. This stops here. Who is in charge?”
However, the young men remain silent and motionless inside the dark basement.
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“I’ve already given multiple commands to clear the room and get out of here, but no one’s moving,” an officer said. “Clearly, they’re taking this pretty serious.”
A man dressed in a white hoodie can be seen standing in the room’s doorway holding a beer as he identifies himself and hands an ID to officers, adding, “I think it’s fake.”
At one point, officers shine a flashlight toward the group of shirtless men, asking, “What’s all over you guys?”
“It’s just water,” one individual replies.
“What’s on that dude’s tie,” the officer asks.
“I’m not sure,” the individual answers.
As the video continues, it shows officers speaking with a man who identified himself as the fraternity president outside the house.
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“It’s their lead-up to initiation,” the college-aged man can be heard saying, adding, “It’s basically a ritual where they’re blindfolded and get messed with.”
The officer then acknowledges that the incident is “a hazing event,” while expressing frustration that none of the pledges complied with authorities’ orders to evacuate due to the fire alarm.
“We responded to a fire alarm. We were trying to get people to evacuate because of the fire alarm, but from my understanding, you guys refused to evacuate for a fire alarm,” the officer says in the video.
“Then, on top of that, we find this hazing event, we want to speak to somebody. Nobody knows anything, nobody knows anyone. Nobody knows what’s going on. This is going in a report. The University of Iowa is going to see this.”
Following an investigation conducted by the University of Iowa, school officials determined the fraternity had violated campus policies regarding hazing, according to the school’s website.
“University of Iowa Police and the University of Iowa Office of Student Accountability investigated the incident and suspended Alpha Delta Phi on Feb. 25, 2025. The earliest reinstatement date is July 2029,” the school said in a statement. “One person was charged with interference with official acts in November of 2024; the charges were later dismissed.”
In light of the suspension, the fraternity’s national office reportedly appealed the university’s decision following their own investigation, insisting that two fraternity members bear “sole responsibility” for the incident, according to the Press-Citizen.
“Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity is aware of the footage from a 2024 incident at the University of Iowa and remains steadfast in its zero-tolerance hazing policy,” Alpha Delta Phi’s national chapter said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Immediately following the incident, an independent, third-party investigation was conducted, and the individuals responsible were removed from membership. Subsequently, the chapter received thorough anti-hazing education and continues to engage in organization-wide hazing prevention programming.”
Fox News Digital’s Olivia Palombo contributed to this report.
