Ohio State University has temporarily suspended the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity while police and the university investigate a video showing two men engulfed in flames near campus. The Ohio State fraternity suspension was placed on an interim basis, according to CBS News US.
According to CBS News US, the university placed the chapter on interim suspension and referred the matter to university and Columbus police. Columbus Police Sgt. Joe Albert said the incident appears to have taken place Saturday. No calls for service came from the location, but someone reported the circulating video to police Sunday evening.
The video reportedly shows a man with his sweatpants on fire tackling a second man, whose clothing then catches fire. Both men roll on the ground removing clothes as onlookers intervene, according to CBS News US. NBC News reports that many bystanders in the videos appeared to wear Ohio State football jerseys, and the Buckeyes hosted the Oregon Ducks on Saturday.
University spokesperson Benjamin Johnson said the individuals in question are receiving medical care, according to ABC News US. CBS News US reports the university did not say what condition they were in Monday.
Steve Mitchell, CEO of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, said behavior that violates its standards has no place in the organization, according to NBC News. He said the fraternity will take appropriate action based on the investigation.
Columbus police said they will work with Ohio State and the Columbus Division of Fire’s Arson Unit to determine whether any criminal acts occurred, according to NBC News. No charges have been reported.
The accounts differ on how the fire started. CBS News US reports the man lunged at and tackled the second man, and only then did the second man’s clothing catch fire. NBC News reports a second video, shot from a different angle, appears to show the second man’s pant leg was already on fire when he was tackled.
The university did not say whether the burned men are students or how they are linked to the fraternity. Police have not confirmed the men’s identities or the cause of the fire, and no independent account from the men or witnesses has been reported. The location has been described only as a block near the university.
History of the fraternity is part of the wider context. NBC News reports that a 2013 Bloomberg report called Sigma Alpha Epsilon the "deadliest frat," citing nine deaths tied to drinking, drugs and hazing from 2006 to 2013. NBC News also reports the fraternity eliminated its pledge system in 2014 and replaced it with the "True Gentleman Experience." In 2022, 46 members of a Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter at the University of New Hampshire were charged with hazing over a talent show incident, and three were acquitted at trial, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader.
Ohio State, Columbus police and the Arson Unit are investigating. The fraternity says it will act on the findings, and the investigation will determine whether criminal acts occurred.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.