Arizona student participated in dangerous drinking game before death Perry Vandell, Arizona Republic February 5, 2026 at 3:18 AM 0 An 18yearold Northern Arizona University student who died during a suspected hazing incident at a Delta Tau Delta fraternity event last week participated in a dangerous drinking game that involved consuming enormous amounts of alcohol within a short period. Flagstaff police responded to a house on South Pinegrove Road, a short distance from the NAU campus, at around 8:44 a.m. on Jan. 31 where officers found the unidentified male student unresponsive.
- - Arizona student participated in dangerous drinking game before death
Perry Vandell, Arizona Republic February 5, 2026 at 3:18 AM
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An 18-year-old Northern Arizona University student who died during a suspected hazing incident at a Delta Tau Delta fraternity event last week participated in a dangerous drinking game that involved consuming enormous amounts of alcohol within a short period.
Flagstaff police responded to a house on South Pinegrove Road, a short distance from the NAU campus, at around 8:44 a.m. on Jan. 31 where officers found the unidentified male student unresponsive.
Police and later paramedics tried lifesaving efforts, but he was pronounced dead at the house, Flagstaff police spokesperson Sgt. Jerry Rintala said.
The student who died was one of four pledge candidates for the fraternity who were told to dress warm and bring a pillowcase, a phone charger and anything they might need from home as they were to stay at the frat house that night, according to arrest documents The Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network, obtained.
Student played dangerous drinking game before passing out
Another pledge candidate told police that the four of them were driven around at roughly 10 p.m. on Jan. 30 before the pillowcases were placed over their heads. The candidates were taken to the frat house about an hour later and told to stand outside for 30 minutes without talking.
The four candidates then played a drinking game called "Don't F—k Your Brother" where they were given a 1.75 liter bottle, or "handle," of vodka and told to finish it amongst themselves, documents said.
More: Northern Arizona University student dies at fraternity 'rush' event, 3 arrested
The game involves a group — typically three to five people — passing around a container of alcohol with the last person having to drink everything that's left, according to the website Urban Dictionary.
One witness told police they believed the bottle had been diluted to where a fourth of the bottle was vodka and the remaining three-quarters was water, though whether that was actually the case remained unclear to investigators.
Three Northern Arizona University students were arrested on Jan. 31, 2026, after an 18-year-old died at a fraternity rush event where authorities believe alcohol was involved.
The now-deceased student, whose name is redacted in the arrest documents, reportedly drank a third of the bottle before passing it to the other pledges and later finished the bottle despite having gone first.
The four pledges all vomited during a 30-minute break when someone produced a second handle of vodka and they played another round, documents said.
This time, the now-deceased student was last in the order and was given the bottle after the other three pledges collectively drank a little more than a third of it, documents say. The student drank the rest of the bottle before passing out.
A Delta Tau Delta executive board member told investigators they moved the student to an air mattress and stayed with him until around 6 a.m. on Jan. 31 before the board member grabbed a jacket and fell asleep himself, according to documents.
A person returning to the residence from McDonald's at around 12:30 a.m. or 1 a.m. noticed the student sleeping on an air mattress and described him having "an unusual snore breath and began gagging similar to a cat with a hairball, but nothing came up," documents said.
Other people at the house also noticed the student's odd snoring and adjusted his sleeping position while checking his pulse and breathing at around 3 a.m. after Googling symptoms of alcohol poisoning, according to documents.
Another executive board member called 911 after noticing the student was no longer breathing at around 8:44 a.m., documents said. Responding officers noted several bottles of vodka and Twisted Tea — a brand of hard iced tea.
Police arrested students despite not submitting charges
Flagstaff police arrested three 20-year-old executive board members of the fraternity and booked them into jail on hazing charges. All of them were later released on their own recognizance with release conditions prohibiting them from leaving the state or contacting members of the victim's family, according to arrest documents.
However, those conditions were later vacated as Coconino County Attorney Ammon Barker had not yet received charging recommendations from Flagstaff police.
"We are working closely with the Flagstaff Police Department and appreciate their efforts in conducting a thorough and ongoing investigation," Barker told The Republic on Feb. 2. "Our office has been in contact with the family of the deceased student and will continue to communicate with them as appropriate."
The Republic is not identifying the arrested students until they have been formally charged.
Rintala did not answer questions as to why police arrested the students without submitting criminal charges to prosecutors.
"The final charging packet will not be submitted until the investigation is complete," Rintala said in a Feb. 3 email. "It is still ongoing regarding witness interviews and evidence gathering."
Reach the reporter Perry Vandell at perry.vandell@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @PerryVandell.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Northern Arizona University student played drinking game before death
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Published: February 05, 2026 at 12:54PM on Source: RED MAG
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