Bodycam Footage Reveals 56 Blindfolded Pledges Packed Into Fraternity Basement During Alleged Hazing Ritual

Police arrived in response to a fire alarm at the University of Iowa in November 2024 and found a bunch of blindfolded fraternity pledges packed into a basement at the Alpha Delta Phi house, according to authorities and online video that’s resurfaced.

The video that’s been buzzing on social media lately shows cops arriving in a cluttered and dark basement and bumping into 56 pledges, most of them shirtless and blindfolded. The cops are heard asking what they’ve gotten themselves into and who’s in charge.

According to the authorities and the video that’s resurfaced online, the incident occurred when the cops arrived in response to a fire alarm at the frat house in Iowa City. While responding to the fire alarm, the cops found the pledges gathered in the basement.

In the video, the cops repeatedly tell people to leave the room as they try to find out who was in charge, but no one cooperates or gives them answers about what was going on. At one point in the video, the cops ask the participants what they were there for as they stood quietly, hands at their sides.

According to the cops, a 21-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of interfering with official acts after stepping between the cops and the witnesses while they were investigating the incident. The charges were dropped later on.

According to the cops, the president of the fraternity told them that the gathering was part of a ritual before initiation where the pledges were blindfolded and “messed with.”

The University of Iowa initiated an investigation into the incident. The University of Iowa suspended the fraternity on Feb. 25, 2025. According to the University of Iowa, the fraternity is suspended from the university until at least July 1, 2029.

The University of Iowa hasn’t shared any further details from its investigation, but confirmed that the suspension is in place.