Dartmouth sorority, 2 fraternity members charged in death of student found in river

A Dartmouth College sorority and two members of a fraternity were charged in connection with the drowning death of Won Jang, whose body was found over the summer in the Connecticut River following an off-campus party, police said.

New Hampshire police found probable cause to charge Matthew Catrambone and Samuel Terry with one misdemeanor each for providing alcohol to a person under 21 years of age, the Hanover Police Department said in a news release on Friday. They are both members of the Beta Alpha Omega fraternity, the same one Jang belonged to.

The Alpha Phi sorority as a corporation was charged with one misdemeanor violation of facilitating an underage alcohol house. Police said sorority members hosted the July 6 party and members of the fraternity who were over 21 purchased and supplied alcohol.

The fraternity and sorority were immediately suspended after Jang’s death. These suspensions 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 matters.

Alpha Phi did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Police said that after the party, several of the attendees “made a spontaneous decision to swim in the river,” the news release states.

A heavy rainstorm hit while they were at the river and many of them left in “various groups,” police said. No one noticed that Jang, 20, was unaccounted for, according to authorities.

Jang was last seen the night of the party by docks on the Connecticut River. His body was found in the water the following evening, about 65 feet offshore. Police said at the time that they were investigating whether hazing was a factor.

An autopsy determined that his cause of death was drowning, and a toxicology report found that his blood alcohol level was .167.

Multiple people, including members of Jang’s family, told authorities that he could not swim.

“Dartmouth has long valued the contributions that Greek organizations bring to the student experience, when they are operating within their stated values and standards. These organizations, as well as all Dartmouth students and community members, have a responsibility to ensure Dartmouth remains a safe, respectful, equitable, and inclusive community for students, faculty, and staff,” the college said in a statement.

In an email to undergraduate students Thursday, Dartmouth said there was a website with mental health and wellness resources and it was offering free swimming lessons, improved wellness programming for students, and other reduced-fee opportunities.

The Department of Safety and Security also increased patrols near the waterfront, and there is improved lighting and signage around the swimming docks.

Dartmouth’s then-dean of the college, Scott Brown, previously remembered Jang as someone who “enthusiastically took part in the Dartmouth community.” Jang, from Middletown, Delaware, was a member of the class of 2026 and was majoring in biomedical engineering.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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