Seven Indiana University fraternity members are accused of subjecting pledges to a grueling hazing ritual involving hours of intense physical exercises, leaving two students hospitalized with potentially life-threatening injuries.
The students, all affiliated with Phi Kappa Psi, allegedly hazed more than two dozen pledges inside the fraternity’s “chapter room” in October 2025, according to court records obtained by CBS4.
Court documents say the pledges were brought into an otherwise empty room that contained only a metal trough filled with ice water, then ordered to complete strenuous exercises for about three hours.
Among the exercises were so-called “brother squats,” in which pledges locked arms and squatted in unison until they were exhausted, the outlet reported.
The pledges were also allegedly made to perform push-ups, planks and leg lifts, with some then forced into the ice bath while reciting the fraternity’s creed, according to WTHR.
Two pledges were later taken to the hospital after reporting severe thigh pain and trouble walking. Court documents said one of them also developed dark urine, a warning sign of serious muscle damage.
Both students remained hospitalized for several days with rhabdomyolysis, a dangerous condition that occurs when damaged muscle tissue breaks down and releases proteins and electrolytes into the bloodstream.
Rhabdomyolysis can cause kidney failure and may be life-threatening without prompt treatment, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
One of the pledges also told investigators that Phi Kappa Psi President Arjunkumar Patel sent him messages instructing him to lie about his injuries and tell doctors his condition was from working out at the gym, court documents said.
The frat president then told the pledge to delete his messages, prosecutors alleged.
Patel has been hit with felony charges for hazing and obstruction of justice. Fraternity members Joseph Moon, Noah Kucera, Logan Conforti, Casey Clarke, Ryan Donohue and Kaptur Nowaczyk were all charged with two counts of felony hazing, authorities said.
The crew of pledges and fraternity members said Moon, of Elkhart, allegedly oversaw the hazing ritual and decided what grueling activities the pledges should partake in, according to court documents.
Nowacyk, Donahue, Clarke, Conforti and Kucera — known as Phi Kappa Psi’s “Member Education Committee” — were present for the degrading workout session.
Patel was at another event, supervising it from the “outside,” the outlet said.
Indiana University’s Phi Kappa Psi chapter was placed on a cease-and-desist in late October, suspending all organization activities.
“The Office of Student Life holds all fraternities and sororities to high standards of safety, accountability and respectful experiences for every member,” Lamar Hylton, vice chancellor for student life at Indiana University Bloomington, told the outlet.
“The allegations made in the charges announced by the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office are inconsistent with Indiana University’s values and expectations of student conduct.”
A level 6 felony, which all seven members are charged with, carries a maximum sentence of 2.5 years behind bars.
The seven fraternity brothers have been summoned to appear in court for an initial hearing on Sept. 1.
