A Dartmouth College fraternity and two fraternity members were charged in connection with the drowning death of Won Jang, whose body was found in the Connecticut River last summer after an off-campus party, police said.
New Hampshire State Police found probable cause to charge Matthew Catrambone and Samuel Terry with one felony count each of furnishing alcohol to a person under 21, Hanover police said in a news release Friday. They are both members of the Beta Alpha Omega fraternity, to which Jang belonged.
The Alpha Phi sorority was charged as a company with one misdemeanor count of facilitating an alcohol house for minors. Police said fraternity members organized the July 6 party and fraternity members over the age of 21 purchased and supplied alcohol.
The fraternity and sorority were immediately suspended after Jang’s death. These suspensions will remain in effect pending the results of the school’s ongoing internal investigation, Dartmouth said in a statement.
Due to federal law, the school said it could not comment on individual student disciplinary cases.
Alpha Phi did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Police said several attendees “spontaneously decided to go swimming in the river” after the party, according to the news release.
A heavy rainstorm hit while they were at the river and many of them left in “several groups,” police said. No one noticed that 20-year-old Jang was missing, according to authorities.
Jang was last seen the night of the party at the dock on the Connecticut River. His body was found the next evening in the water, about 20 meters offshore. Police said at the time they were investigating whether hazing was a factor.
An autopsy determined his cause of death was drowning, and a toxicology report showed his blood alcohol level was 0.167.
Several people, including members of Jang’s family, told authorities that he could not swim.
“Dartmouth has long valued the contributions Greek organizations make to the student experience when operating within established values and standards. These organizations, as well as all Dartmouth students and community members, have a responsibility to ensure that Dartmouth remains a safe, respectful, equitable and inclusive community for students, faculty and staff,” the college said in a statement.
In an email to students Thursday, Dartmouth said it had a website with mental health and wellness resources and offered free swimming lessons, enhanced student wellness programs and other options at reduced rates.
The Ministry of Safety and Security has also increased waterfront patrols and improved lighting and signage around the swimming docks.
Dartmouth’s then-dean of the college, Scott Brown, previously remembered Jang as someone who “enthusiastically participated in the Dartmouth community.” Jang, from Middletown, Delaware, was a member of the class of 2026 and studied biomedical engineering.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
