Ivy League fraternity members and a sorority are charged over death of 20-year-old student

Two Dartmouth College fraternity members have been charged in the death of a student who drowned after attending an off-campus party.

Beta Alpha Omega members Matthew Catrambone and Samuel Terry have been charged with furnishing alcohol to a person under the age of 21 after 20-year-old Won Jang was found dead in the Connecticut River in early July.

Police in Hanover, New Hampshire, where the college is located, said officers also filed a report the sorority Alpha Phi – a corporation – with one count of facilitating an underage alcohol house to host the party.

The party Jang attended was hosted by Alpha Phi and the alcohol was provided by Beta Alpha Omega. Most of the people at the party were under 21 years old.

After the event, Police said several students spontaneously went swimming in the river.

While they were at the river, a heavy rainstorm hit and most of the people left. Jang, a biomedical engineering student from Middletown, Delaware, stayed behind.

According to his family, he could not swim. He was found in water about 20 feet deep, about 65 feet offshore.

Police previously said they had been contacted about the possibility that Jang’s death was caused by heavy drinking or hazing.

In January, Beta Alpha Omega was one of four frats at the school suspended for violating community standards

Jang was reported missing on Sunday morning when he failed to appear at an event and was found dead that evening. Police say they have been contacted about a possible hazing incident

“We have received some emails from the council indicating that alcohol or hazing may have been involved,” Hanover Police Chief Charlie Dennis said.

“Certainly, we will investigate that aspect as well,” he added, but when he was found authorities said they had received no indications of foul play.

The toxicology report showed Jang’s blood alcohol level was 0.167 – more than twice the legal driving limit.

In January, Beta Alpha Omega was one of four students at the school suspended for violating community standards The Dartmouth.

Suspensions may be imposed for “repeated misconduct, or for misconduct that appears to be sufficiently serious to warrant the cessation of all activities for a specified number of terms.”

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said in a statement that there was no indication Jang had left the river area when they investigated.

It could take three to six months for a toxicology report on Jang to confirm the results.

His heartbroken father, Hongpil Jang, paid tribute to his son’s “deep love for music”, including playing Korean instruments.

“He loved to share what he had and was proud to be who he was,” Hongpil Jang wrote in an emailed statement to The Dartmouth.

“He founded a Korean club at school to teach his friends Korean and volunteered to teach adults at the Delaware Korean School, Janggu, Korean drum, and even performed with them.”

He added that his son also played piano, trumpet, electric guitar and bass, and had won awards as “one of the top artists on the East Coast.”

Delaware native Won Jang, 20, was a member of Beta Alpha Omega at the Ivy League institution. Two members of the Dartmouth College fraternity and a fraternity have been charged

Jang — a member of the Dartmouth class of 2026 — studied biomedical engineering, with his profile on the fraternity’s website proclaiming him “The Won and Only”

Jang’s college friend, Lydia Jin, remembered him for his infectious positivity.

“He was such a friendly face on campus, and behind that smile was such a happy soul,” Jin told The Dartmouth.

“He just wanted to share that happiness with as many people as possible.”

“He really was just the nicest and [most] was ever an uplifting person – he always had a smile on his face no matter what he was going through,” added another friend, Sreeya Pittala. “He really cared about other people.”

At the time of the incident, Dartmouth suspended its sorority and fraternity and those suspensions remain in effect.

“Dartmouth has long valued the contributions that Greek organizations make to the student experience when they operate within their stated values ​​and standards,” the college said in a statement.

“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.”

No one at Alpha Phi was available for comment.