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Northeastern frat placed on probation after video captures blindfolded pledges taken into U-Haul
A neighbor's camera captured the incident, reportedly part of an initiation event.
A fraternity at Northeastern University was placed on probation after police investigated an initiation ritual in December. Members of the fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, were seen moving 16 blindfolded people into the back of a U-Haul box truck by a neighbor, according to a police report. The incident took place on Dec. 10 on Cedar Street in Roxbury.
“We conducted a thorough investigation and found the fraternity to be in violation of the university’s Code of Student Conduct. As a result, the fraternity was put on probation through the spring 2022 semester and additional sanctions were given,” Northeastern’s Media Relations Manager Shannon Nargi said in a statement.
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The resident who reported the incident called police at around 7 p.m. and told officers that they had a video of these fraternity members getting into the truck before it left the neighborhood.
Terre Dilworth, a neighbor, told police that his surveillance cameras took video of more than a dozen people being led into the truck, according to Channel 7 WHDH.
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“There were actually 20-plus kids who were blindfolded, jackets taken off, and led into the back of a U-Haul by other fraternity members,” Dilworth told WHDH. “You’re putting someone’s child at risk, allowing their lives to be put in danger for something that’s not worth it.”
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A post on U-Haul’s website notes, “A teenager might think it’s the greatest idea ever to ride in the back of the moving truck, but it is against the law and is also very dangerous. Passengers or pets riding in the cargo area risk injury due to shifting cargo, asphyxiation, and lack of collision protection.”
When officers arrived at the fraternity house, two members told them that they were “conducting an initiation night” with pledges, according to the report. They added that the truck was driving aimlessly around Fort Hill until all the new pledges arrived for the event.
The fraternity members that spoke with police said they did not know why Boston Police responded to the incident, and that “the initiation was harmless.” They also said that other fraternities do “much worse” in terms of initiation ceremonies, according to the report.
A sergeant was called to the scene, and all the residents of the house came outside to speak with police. Police then explained the dangers of a situation like this and asked the fraternity members at the house to Facetime their counterparts in the U-Haul. The officers received confirmation that the pledges in the truck were unharmed. They told police that they were taking an Uber or Lyft back to Roxbury from Needham.
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