Wisconsin police investigating fraternity for hazing after men found in basement

Officers responded to the house Wednesday night after an anonymous tip came in, Madison police said. Some of the men showed signs of being physically assaulted, and police described them as pledges of the fraternity.

Two fraternity members, both 20 years old, were arrested on tentative misdemeanor charges of hazing and disorderly conduct. As of Friday morning, no formal charges had been filed against either man, and police said the investigation into suspected illegal hazing is ongoing.

The case lands during pledge season at a major public university, when fraternities recruit new members and hazing complaints tend to spike nationwide. For the young men involved, an anonymous call turned what was happening in a basement into a criminal investigation with two arrests already on the books, even before prosecutors decide whether to file formal charges.

Thirty pledges, covered in condiments, found by police after one anonymous tip. It took just one call to turn a fraternity basement into a crime scene.