The family of Danny Santulli has issued a fresh warning about hazing, saying they do not want another student to suffer the same fate.
Santulli was 19 when he was left permanently disabled after a fraternity hazing incident in October 2021. According to reports, he went into cardiac arrest after being forced to drink a 1.75-litre bottle of Tito’s vodka and being fed beer through a tube at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house.
Court footage later shown to jurors reportedly captured Santulli unconscious on a sofa. A lawsuit said the house had been stocked with drugs and alcohol for a pledge night. It also claimed pledges were insulted if they could not keep drinking, and that Santulli was ordered to climb into a trash can that contained broken glass.
The lawsuit said he had spent a month under intense pressure during the pledging process. It also said he told his sister two nights before the incident that he had “had enough.”
Despite signs of severe alcohol poisoning, no one called 911, the family has said. His blood alcohol content was recorded at 0.486, about six times the legal limit. He was taken to hospital, but suffered irreversible brain damage.
Santulli is now blind, unable to speak or walk, and uses a wheelchair. His family says he needs constant care, with medical costs topping $2 million.
Several fraternity members pleaded guilty, including Ryan P. Delanty, who faced a six-month jail term. The chapter was later disbanded. Santulli’s family also filed a civil lawsuit against the fraternity and 23 members, which was settled out of court in 2022.