Ohio State University has placed its Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity chapter on interim suspension while police investigate a video circulating on social media that appears to show people being set on fire during a party near campus.

Columbus police Sgt. Joe Albert confirmed to local outlets that the incident took place Saturday in the 1900 block of Indianola Avenue, where the SAE house is located. The university has not said how the fraternity is connected to the event, whether the people shown in the video are students, or what condition they were in, and police say officers received no calls for service at the location at the time it allegedly occurred.

Instead, according to CBS News' reporting on the case, someone contacted police the following evening after the video began spreading online. The university has referred the matter to both its own investigators and the Columbus Division of Police, and says it has not yet verified the video's authenticity.

Chapter Barred From New-Member Activities

As part of the interim suspension, Ohio State's Ohio Theta chapter of SAE must halt all new-member activities while the investigation continues. The chapter has faced university discipline before; it was previously placed under restrictions following an unrelated incident involving a party that required medical intervention.

THE UNIVERSITY HAS REFERRED THE MATTER TO OHIO STATE AND COLUMBUS POLICE FOR INVESTIGATION.

Fraternity-related safety incidents have drawn heightened scrutiny at universities nationwide in recent years, with hazing-related deaths and injuries prompting new state laws and stricter oversight of Greek life organizations. Ohio has its own anti-hazing statute, Collin's Law, enacted after the 2021 hazing death of an Ohio University student.

Ohio State has not said when it expects the investigation to conclude or whether criminal charges are being considered. The university's statement asked students and the public to avoid sharing the unverified video while the inquiry is underway.