A fraternity chapter at a New Jersey university has been permanently closed following a serious hazing incident that left a student critically injured. The incident, which reportedly involved electricity, took place earlier this month.

Rutgers University’s Alpha Sigma Phi chapter was shut down after a 19-year-old fraternity member was hospitalized in critical condition. The incident, which occurred on October 15, allegedly involved the student being shocked with electricity while in contact with water, as reported by NJ.com. Authorities responded to the fraternity house after receiving a dropped 911 call, leading them to discover the unresponsive student.

“Following our investigation, it was confirmed that hazing had taken place, prompting the fraternity to decide on closing the chapter,” stated Gordy Heminger, a spokesperson for Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity, Inc., in a statement to NJ.com.

The fraternity house was previously cited for multiple code violations, according to NJ Advance Media.

The closure of the Rutgers University Alpha Sigma Phi chapter comes in the wake of the critical injury of a 19-year-old student in what is alleged to have been a hazing-related electrical incident in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on October 15, 2025.

Heminger reportedly added that the Oct. 15 incident involved “underground and unreported new members,” and occurred in the basement of the off-campus fraternity house.

“At some point, water became involved,” Heminger said. “This was not students just listening to music in the dark as was claimed by an anonymous parent. This was hazing. We are still trying to determine who and how many people were involved, but we believe it will be double digits when all the facts come out.”

Heminger also reportedly called on Rutgers to expel any students who were involved in the incident, while vowing that Alpha Sigma Phi will do the same.

Alpha Sigma Phi’s Rutgers University chapter has been permanently closed following hazing allegations, according to officials. (iStock)

“We hope Rutgers will do the same,” Heminger reportedly said. “New Jersey has very strong anti-hazing laws and I hope the prosecutor seeks the maximum penalties allowed for those involved.”

As of Friday, authorities had not filed any charges stemming from the incident and the injured student was no longer in critical condition, NJ.com reported.

The New Brunswick house also possessed a history of building code violations and officials have since declared the building to be an unsafe structure, according to NJ Advance Media.

A 19-year-old student was initially in critical condition after being found unresponsive at an Alpha Sigma Phi chapter’s off-campus house at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025.  (iStock)

A July 2025 inspection revealed numerous “life safety” issues – including multiple electrical hazards – at the property, which is owned by the fraternity’s national arm and managed by CLVEN, according to NJ.com.

Immediately following the incident, Rutgers imposed a cease and desist order on the fraternity’s activities and placed the chapter on organizational disciplinary probation until May 18 – however, the fraternity has since been shut down in light of the new information obtained by investigators.

In 2021, the state implemented several new and stricter penalties for hazing after 19-year-old Timothy Piazza, a New Jersey resident, died after being forced to drink copious amounts of alcohol while attending Penn State University. Two former college students ultimately pleaded guilty to criminal charges stemming from Piazza’s death last year, according to NJ.com.

Alpha Sigma Phi’s national organization, Rutgers University and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.