Recent body camera footage from police during a hazing event at the University of Iowa revealed numerous shirtless, blindfolded fraternity pledges who were covered in food, all packed into a dimly lit basement.
This footage has gone viral, racking up millions of views on social media since it was uploaded on YouTube on Tuesday. It depicts police and firefighters responding to a fire alarm at the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity back in November 2024, according to reports from local sources.
Upon entering the basement, officers discovered 56 pledges, who were not only blindfolded and shirtless but also appeared to be in disarray, with food smeared on them. One officer commented to a man in a baseball cap, who seemed unrelated to the hazing, that it looked like “there seems to be a lot of haze.”
Despite multiple orders to clean the room and leave, the pledges remained still, displaying little reaction.
The officers were searching for the “person in charge” and the “father of the house,” hoping to understand the situation better.
A man later introduced himself as “Jose,” identified as Joseph Gaya, was standing at the basement’s entrance with a beer in hand. When confronted, he seemed dismissive, implying it was all just a joke. “I think it’s fake,” he said, handing over his ID.
In a surreal moment, one of the officers expressed confusion at what was unfolding, asking, “What the hell did I just come in?” Meanwhile, many of the pledges stood barefoot and motionless.
Gaya casually informed the officer that the fraternity was conducting a “celebration of life,” which felt quite unsettling given the scene. At one moment, while officers were checking for injuries, a pledge whimsically invited one of them to “taste” the red substance smeared across his neck.
Gaya was arrested the following day for obstructing official business, but the charges against him were later dismissed after the state moved to drop the case. According to university officials, Gaya was not a student at the University of Iowa during the incident. Following an investigation into the hazing, the fraternity was suspended for four years, until 2029.
