COLUMBUS, OH — Police in Columbus are investigating whether two Ohio State University students who suffered deep burns at an outdoor fraternity party were victims of hazing. The university has placed Sigma Alpha Epsilon on interim suspension after social media video showed a crowd surrounding the two students while they were on fire Saturday.

A student who saw the video later called police to report what she believed may have been a hazing incident. According to an audio recording of that call, she said people stood nearby watching while the student burned. Columbus police said both victims were treated for moderate second- and third-degree burns.

Video shows crowd gathered around burning students

The video at the center of the investigation shows a ring of people outside, many dressed in Ohio State’s red and white colors. In the footage, people are seen laughing and shouting as two men on the ground have their pants on fire.

At one point, one man lunges toward the other and both roll on the ground. As the situation becomes more serious, the shouting shifts to a more panicked tone while the two try to remove their clothing. One bystander can be seen holding a small fire extinguisher, but it does not appear to be used successfully.

Columbus police and university officials are both examining the incident

The Columbus police report identifies the victims as students and says the investigation is centered on hazing. The report also lists the president of the fraternity as part of the inquiry. Ohio State has not said exactly how the fraternity is tied to the event.

University authorities are also looking into whether hazing occurred. The school maintains a public hazing list under state law and federal requirements, and it has already sanctioned several Greek organizations this year. That list shows four fraternities, one sorority and one co-ed group have been disciplined so far in 2026.

Ohio hazing law and federal campus rules shape the response

The case comes after Ohio strengthened its hazing law in 2021 with the signing of Collin’s Law, a measure pushed in the wake of a student’s death at an Ohio University fraternity house. The law defines hazing broadly to include coercing people into conduct that creates a substantial risk of mental or physical harm when tied to joining or staying in an organization.

Ohio State’s public discipline records are part of that wider legal framework, which also includes the federal Stop Campus Hazing Act signed in 2024. Together, those rules require universities to track and disclose hazing violations and sanctions, making the current investigation more than an isolated campus matter.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon has a long disciplinary history at Ohio State

According to The Lantern, Ohio State’s student newspaper, Sigma Alpha Epsilon has been sanctioned at least seven times since 2001. The chapter’s past violations have involved alcohol, hazing and endangering behavior, and at one point its disciplinary probation was extended after it failed to comply with sanctions.

Ohio State’s hazing list does not show Sigma Alpha Epsilon among the groups disciplined in the last five years, but the newspaper’s archives suggest a repeated pattern of trouble over a much longer period. The fraternity has also faced scrutiny elsewhere: in 2022, 46 members of its University of New Hampshire chapter were charged with hazing, although most avoided conviction.

SAE ended pledging nationwide years before the Ohio State investigation

Sigma Alpha Epsilon eliminated its pledging process for all chapters nationwide in 2014, saying the move was prompted in part by injuries and deaths. That change was meant to reduce the risk of harmful initiation practices within the fraternity system.

The Ohio State incident now places the organization back under scrutiny as investigators try to determine what happened at the party and whether the two injured students were subjected to hazing. Police have not said whether charges will be filed, and the university has not released additional details about the students’ condition beyond the burn injuries listed in the report.