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Iowa hazing: Who is Joseph Gaya? Arrest in Alpha Delta Phi incident in focus as 2024 video sparks row
A 2024 hazing video at University of Iowa resurfaced, showing a police raid at Alpha Delta Phi; student Joseph Gaya was arrested but later cleared.
Amid the shocking video of a hazing incident at the University of Iowa from 2024 resurfacing, the arrest of a student in the incident has been noted with curiosity by many.
During the November 15, 2024, incident, which was reportedly organized by the University of Iowa's Alpha Delta Phi fraternity, a 22-year-old fraternity member named Joseph Gaya was reportedly arrested for resisting the police raid. The charges against Gaya were later dropped.
The video - a bodycam footage from an emergency response after a fire alarm at the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity went off - has gained over 20 million views on social media.
Hazing is the practice, often illegal, of forcing someone to undergo humiliating, abusive, or dangerous activities to gain acceptance into a group. It’s common in fraternities, sports teams, or clubs.
Who Is Joseph Gaya?
The bodycam footage was released as part of a court case discovery on the arrest of Joseph Gaya. Gaya was 21 years old at the time of his arrest. It is unclear from the reports if Gaya is a student at University of Iowa and a member of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity.
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Police arrived at the building of the Alpha Delta Phi on the night of November 15, 2024, and found 56 male pledges inside the building. In the bodycam footage, they could be seen in the responder's flashlight.
According to the arrest record disclosed in the court discovery, Joseph Gaya continually interfered with the police response that night. The officers repeatedly told him to step away, but he tried to put them between the pledging students and the officers.
The charges against Joseph Gaya were later dropped.
It resulted in the University of Iowa suspended at least till July 2029. The incident was investigated by the University of Iowa Police and the University of Iowa Office of Student Accountability.
