The video shows two men engulfed in flames. A group of onlookers clad in Ohio State University football gear stand around them, watching as techno music plays in the background.
Little is known about what led to the now-viral moment at a Nov. 7 gathering at a Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house. Police are investigating whether the incident constituted hazing. A Columbus fire department spokesperson told the Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the victims were taken to a local hospital and were in stable condition.
This is the latest in a string of criminal probes into Greek life organizations on college campus in recent weeks. Since the beginning of the school year, Pennsylvania State University, Drexel University, the University of Alabama
and the University of Arizona have suspended fraternities over hazing concerns. On Nov. 6, a day before the Ohio State incident, North Carolina State University shut down its chapter of the Sigma Nu Fraternity amid allegations that pledges faced physical abuse.
Over the last decade, state and federal lawmakers have enacted a wave of policies aimed at eliminating hazing on college campuses. Forty-four states have anti-hazing laws, according to the research group StopHazing. In 2021, Ohio joined about a dozen other states that allow prosecutors to elevate some instances of hazing to felonies. In 2024, the Biden administration enacted the Stop Campus Hazing Act, mandating educational programs and creating campus reporting requirements.
Yet, experts say these latest investigations suggest the laws have done little to decrease the frequency of dangerous initiation rituals.
David Bianchi, a Florida attorney who has represented victims of fraternity hazing and their families, said part of the problem is that existing laws aren't always being enforced.
"You can’t pass any more laws, rules or regulations because they are all on the books and yet the problem continues and in some ways is worse today than ever," Bianchi said.
Steve Mitchell, CEO of the national Sigma Alpha Epsilon organization, told the USA TODAY Network it "holds its collegiate members to high standards of conduct and accountability. Behavior that violates these standards has no place in our organization." The local Ohio State chapter did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the investigation.
Ohio State placed the fraternity on suspension while the university investigates the incident. The university told the Columbus Dispatch it had also referred the incident to Columbus and Ohio State University police.
Prosecution vs. prevention
Michael Ayalon, CEO of Greek University, a consulting group for college fraternities and sororities, said laws concerning hazing have strengthened accountability and reinforced the importance of prevention programs. But he argued there isn’t enough evidence those policies have reduced the prevalence of hazing.
"We have to distinguish between punishment and hazing prevention," Ayalon said. "In my experience, students will often underestimate the likelihood that somebody will get hurt or that they'll be caught or that the law will apply to their actions."
Determining whether an event constitutes hazing or simply reckless behavior can be difficult, Ayalon added.
States define and prosecute hazing incidents differently. In some, questions about how much the victim of an alleged hazing willingly cooperated is a factor. Six states don't have laws prohibiting or defining hazing, according to Bianchi's law firm: Alaska, Hawaii, New Mexico, Wyoming, South Dakota and Montana.
In Ohio, one of the critical questions investigators ask is "whether an activity was connected to joining or maintaining membership in a fraternity," Ayalon said. Police are likely looking at who was involved in the Nov. 7 incident at Ohio State, why the two men were set on fire and whether they felt pressure to participate, Ayalon added.
"Two students participating in a dangerous stunt doesn’t automatically establish that hazing occurred," he said.
Elizabeth J. Allan was shocked but not surprised when she came across the recent allegations of hazing at North Carolina State University and the video of two individuals on fire at Ohio State. Allan, a professor of higher education and director of the Hazing Prevention Research Lab at the University of Maine, is relaunching a 2008 study which found 55% of college students who belonged to clubs, teams and organizations had experienced hazing.
"It’s horrifying when you see these incidents making the headlines and yet – from a research perspective – and those of us who gather data know about this – there is a pattern," she said.
'The problem continues'
Between July 2025 and August 2026, colleges and universities reported more than 500 hazing incidents, according to an analysis by HazingInfo, a database tracking such incidents. Experts believe the actual number was higher.
HazingInfo found only 54% of universities reported the number of hazing incidents on their campuses. That's despite the Biden administration's 2024 law requiring schools to publish biannual campus hazing transparency reports.
Hank Nuwer, a journalist who has researched hazing for decades, said laws alone will not eliminate hazing. He described it as cultural phenomenon within Greek organizations.
"If a chapter is intent on hazing, they're going to do it," Nuwer said. "It takes only one, two or three idiots in the group."
In some cases, he said, alumni might push fraternity chapters to continue harmful initiation traditions. Laws increasing criminal penalties for hazing, he said, have not "been a deterrent." He added he believes universities and Greek organizations need to make systemic changes, including by ensuring students feel comfortable reporting instances of hazing.
"National fraternities are doing a much better job than they did when I started writing about this 50 years ago," he said.
Still, he said, more needs to be done.
Cole Behrens, a reporter for The Columbus Dispatch, which is part of the USA TODAY Network, contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hazing is illegal in dozens of states. Why does it keep happening?
