This is a list of hazing deaths in the United States. This is not an exhaustive list. An exact list is not available because there is no central system for tracking hazing deaths, and the role of hazing in some deaths is subject to disagreement. Inclusion in this list requires that the incident be described as a hazing-related death by the media. Incidents involving criminal or civil proceedings that did not find a definite link with hazing may still be included if they meet this criterion.
According to the National Collaborative for Hazing Research and Prevention at the University of Maine, hazing is defined as "any activity expected of someone joining or participating in a group that humiliates, degrades, abuses or endangers them, regardless of a person's willingness to participate". Although hazing is often associated with the activities that take place as a prerequisite for joining a group, it can also include activities that take place as an established member, such as the 2011 death of fraternity brother George Desdunes.
There was at least one university hazing death in the United States each year from 1969 to 2021. Over 200 university hazing deaths have occurred since 1838, with 40 deaths between 2007 and 2017 alone. Alcohol poisoning is the biggest cause of death.
List
18th century Date of death Victim Organization Institution Cause of death Notes1738Daniel ReesMasonic Temple in PhiladelphiaBurnsDuring a mock initiation, flaming liquid was thrown on him by Masons led by Evan Jones. He died within days, and Jones was found guilty of manslaughter and branded. Benjamin Franklin, a member of the group, appeared as a witness for the prosecution.
19th century Date of death Victim Organization Institution Cause of death Notes1838 Class HazingFranklin Seminary (Kentucky)According to family history records, Groves died in a hazing incident. No further details are available.1847 Class HazingAmherst CollegeTorrance left school after developing a severe illness that he attributed to upperclassmen soaking his sheets. He eventually died from this illness, and Amherst president Edward Hitchcock attributed the death to hazing rituals, which were referred to as "freshman visitation".October 17, 1873 Kappa Alpha SocietyCornell UniversityInjuries from a fallLeggett was taken out into the woods at night as part of an initiation ceremony. He died after falling into a gorge while blindfolded. Two members who were guiding him also fell, but survived.September 19, 1885 Class hazingUnknown public school in Hazleton, PennsylvaniaKidney traumaHe was made to run through a gauntlet of schoolmates in which they punched him with their fists. He was punched in the kidneys severely and died several days later.June 6, 1892 Delta Kappa EpsilonYale UniversityPeritonitisA pledge was led blindfolded through the street during his fraternity initiation towards Moriarty's Cafe, a popular student hangout. He was told to run and did so at top speed. He ran into a sharp carriage pole, injuring himself. He was rendered unconscious, but the injury was not thought to be serious at the time. He suffered an intestine rupture and died five days later of peritonitis.February 20, 1894 Class hazingCornell UniversityGassingThe fatality was not a freshman, but a female cook who died when undergraduates misdirected chlorine gas into the kitchen as part of a hazing prank. The gas was intended to interrupt the Cornell freshman banquet.September 29, 1898 Class hazingDecatur High School (Decatur, Illinois)Spine traumaJones was participating in a hazing custom on September 6 in which all the freshman boys were put over the fence on the first day of school. There was a "lively" fight as well. Jones injured his spine severely and died at the end of the month.October 27, 1899 Kappa Alpha SocietyCornell UniversityDrowningBerkeley was attempting to pin a piece of paper to a tree or bridge (accounts vary) when he fell into a canal and drowned. Members insisted that the errand was not a form of hazing and was merely meant to keep him occupied until his formal initiation later that day.November 22, 1899Martin BergenClass hazingLawrenceville Academy (Lawrenceville, New Jersey)Peritonitis12-year-old Bergen died following a hazing tradition called "piling", in which the freshmen boys are forced to pile on top of one another, ending in the upperclassmen jumping on the boys' abdomens with their knees. Bergen ended the session without issue aside from some soreness for 2–3 days. He developed peritonitis from internal injuries and died several days later.
1900s Date of death Victim Organization Institution or location Cause of death NotesNovember 3, 1900 Class hazingPorter Military Academy(Charleston, South Carolina)Internal injuries12-year-old Brown was forced to drop blindfolded into a swimming pool. He dropped approximately into the pool, which contained almost no water. He died from internal injuries.November 16, 1900 Class hazingMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyNeck traumaMoore died following the annual "Cane rush"—a tradition in which freshmen were given a special cane that the sophomores would attempt to steal during a scrap. After the pistol sounded to begin the rush, Moore grabbed hold of the cane, eventually finding himself at the bottom of the pile. He was asked several times if he was alright, to which he answered in the affirmative. When the event ended, Moore was unresponsive and could not be resuscitated. It was determined that he died of fractures to the upper vertebrae of the neck.December 3, 1900 Class hazingUnited States Military AcademyWest Point, New YorkTuberculosisBooz began at West Point in June 1898 in good physical health. Four months later, he resigned due to health problems. He died in December 1900 of tuberculosis. During his long struggle with the illness, he blamed the illness on hazing he received at West Point in 1898, claiming he had hot sauce poured down his throat on three occasions, as well as several other grueling hazing practices, such as brutal beatings and having hot wax poured on him in the night. His family claimed that scarring from the hot sauce made him more susceptible to the infection, causing his death. Among other things, Booz had claimed that his devotion to Christianity made him a target and that he was tormented for reading his Bible."Oscar Booz Is Dead", Chicago Daily Tribune, December 4, 1900, p2
The practice of hazing at West Point entered the national spotlight following his death. Congressional hearings investigated his death and the pattern of systemic hazing of freshmen, and serious efforts were made to reform the system and end hazing at West Point.September 15, 1903 Secret society "L. of S.S.B"Bluffton High School (Bluffton, Indiana)SepsisFifteen-year-old McBride died five months after he was hazed roughly during the initiation into a high school secret society. Three other boys were hazed roughly at the same time, leading another of the boys' fathers to press charges for assault and battery against the boys. The other boys survived, but McBride developed sepsis and died following a high fever and delirium. Attempts were made to save his life by removing the necrotic bone of his leg, but it was unsuccessful. Ten students were tried for assault and battery but were acquitted, citing the lack of proof that the death was related to the hazing instead of an unrelated illness.November 8, 1903 Phi Psi Chi (Local dental fraternity)University of Maryland, BaltimoreShortly after being initiated into Phi Psi Chi, German-born Loew was found deceased in his dorm room while his South African roommate was found unconscious. Upon awakening, Loew's roommate described the hazing. A week prior, Loew was undressed, blindfolded, and taken into a room where he was laid on a block of ice. He was then carried upstairs to a balcony and thrown over the railing, a drop of 24 feet. Underneath the railing were students holding a sheet. When he fell onto the sheet, he was tossed up and down until he was unconscious. After reviving, he was beaten severely. He was given whiskey and quinine that evening. The following Saturday, he submitted to an unknown form of hazing, and his roommate underwent the same hazing ritual that Loew had undergone the weekend prior.1903 Childhood hazingBarton, VermontThree young boys, aged 11, 10, and 7, read about hazing practices in college and decided to try it themselves. They built a fire in a pasture behind the schoolhouse and led nine-year-old Ralph Canning to the spot. They heated several stones until they were red hot. The boys forced Canning to both sit and stand on the hot stones and held him there despite his screams. The boys then either walked or jumped on him (depending on the source). He was finally allowed to leave, and he crawled home, where he died two weeks later.September 1904 Class hazingPurdue UniversityPneumonia Miller and other freshmen were taken to a bridge over the Wabash River. When he refused to cheer for the sophomores, he was stripped, painted black from head to toe (black and gold are Purdue's official colors), and thrown into the river. He was forced to swim until he was exhausted in the very cold water. He died of pneumonia four days later.April 1904 Class hazingRawson School(Findlay, Ohio)Head traumaTen-year-old Fillwock was fatally injured during a hazing event by older boys at the school. He was being physically hazed by several boys who were several years older than him when he broke away from the crowd. He ran toward his home but fell, striking the back of his head on a stake. Several other boys piled on top of him. When he was picked up, his spine was injured, his skull fractured, and several ribs were broken. He died several days later.October 28, 1905 Delta Kappa EpsilonKenyon CollegeHit by a trainPierson was killed while being initiated into a fraternity. He was sent to a railroad track as part of a hazing ceremony and killed by an unscheduled train.Was This Student "Hazed" To Death?, Albuquerque Evening Citizen (republished in Chronicling America); published November 3, 1905; retrieved September 1, 2014.February 10, 1906 Class hazingA school in Lima, OhioPneumoniaThirteen-year-old Taylor was buried in a snowdrift after rough hazing by classmates. He died a few days later of pneumonia.January 3, 1906 Class hazingHilliard High School(Columbus, Ohio)On November 9, 1905, Leat was thrown into a rail, then to the ground, where he was beaten severely. He died the following January from the injuries.September 27, 1908Emil S. GranClass hazingWorcester Polytechnic InstituteSpinal traumaOn September 22, 1908, Gran fractured his spine in the Sophomore-Freshmen cane rush and died several days later from his injuries.March 1909 Class hazingWhite School(Indianapolis, Indiana)Stintson was strung up by the ankles to a tree near the school and left for an extended period. He died several hours after being taken down.
1910s