Key takeaways:
- Ohio State placed Sigma Alpha Epsilon on interim suspension pending an investigation.
- Police said the incident appeared to occur Saturday and that they were alerted to the video Sunday.
- The university said the individuals shown in the video were receiving medical care.
Ohio State University has placed its Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity on interim suspension after a video circulated online showing two young men whose clothing was on fire. The university said the individuals were receiving medical care and referred the incident to law enforcement.
“The university is aware of this extremely concerning incident,” university spokesperson Benjamin Johnson said in a statement. “Ohio State is committed to a safe and healthy environment and expects students and student organizations to uphold that commitment and the university’s values.” The suspension will remain in place pending a full investigation.
In one video, a person wearing a sweatsuit is on the ground with his pants in flames. He gets up and tackles another person in a matching sweatsuit. Both men then move around trying to remove their burning clothes as bystanders help put out the flames. NBC News reported that a second video, filmed from another angle, appears to show the second person’s pant leg was already on fire when he was tackled. It also shows a bystander apparently struggling to use a fire extinguisher.
Columbus police said the incident appeared to have taken place Saturday on a block near the university. Police received no calls about it that day, but were alerted Sunday after the video began circulating online. Sgt. Joe Albert told The Guardian that someone called police Sunday evening to report the video.
“We will be working with the Ohio State University, as well as the Columbus Division of Fire’s Arson Unit to determine if any criminal acts occurred,” Columbus police said. Authorities have not announced findings about how the fire started or whether anyone committed a crime.
The fraternity’s national organization is also investigating. “We take this matter seriously and are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident while working closely with university officials and local law enforcement,” Steve Mitchell, Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s CEO, said in a statement.
Mitchell said the organization holds its collegiate members to high standards and would take appropriate action based on the investigation’s findings. “Behavior that violates these standards has no place in our organization,” he said.
Ohio State hosted Oregon in a football game Saturday, and NBC News reported that many bystanders visible in the videos appeared to be wearing Ohio State jerseys. The Guardian reported that more than 62,000 students are enrolled at the university’s Columbus campus.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon, founded in 1856 at the University of Alabama, has faced scrutiny over earlier incidents. According to a 2013 Bloomberg report cited by NBC News, nine deaths related to drinking, drugs and hazing were associated with the fraternity between 2006 and 2013, and more than 100 universities had disciplined it. The national organization eliminated its pledge system in 2014.
At a University of New Hampshire chapter event in 2022, 46 members were charged with hazing, NBC News reported, citing the New Hampshire Union Leader. Dozens entered diversion programs, while three were acquitted at trial after a judge ruled the event did not meet the legal requirements for a hazing charge.
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