Bodycam footage of authorities discovering nearly 60 people standing motionless in the basement of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity house at the University of Iowa has gone viral.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by Iowa City-Press Citizen reporter Ryan Hansen, the Iowa City Police and Fire Department, along with the University of Iowa Police, were responding to a fire alarm at the fraternity house in Nov. 2024 when the discovery was made. In total, 56 pledges were found shirtless and covered in various substances.
At the 11-minute mark in the video up top, officers speak with a man who identified himself as the president of the fraternity outside their house. This individual stated what the authorities happened upon “a ritual where they’re blindfolded and get messed with” as part of “their lead-up to initiation.”
The officer informed this person that the incident would be reported as a hazing event. According to Newsweek, hazing is not only prohibited at the University of Iowa, it is a misdemeanor under Iowa law.
Following an investigation, the University of Iowa suspended the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity until 2029.
A shortened version of the bodycam footage was posted by the account @TimothyJones92 on X on Tuesday (Feb. 17).
Since then, people have been commenting on the unusual sight.
Spoilers ahead for the movie Weapons.
Less than a month after 45-year-old Chad Michael Watts got into a brawl with a group of high school kids who participated in a walkout in protest of ICE, another real-life incident has drawn comparisons to a scene from Weapons.
