A University of Missouri fraternity has been shut down after a hazing incident in 2021 left student Daniel Santulli permanently blind, paralyzed, and unable to speak.
Daniel “Danny” Santulli was a 19-year-old freshman in 2021.
He took part in a pledge event at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, known as Fiji, at the University of Missouri on October 19 that year.
He had a bottle of vodka taped to his hands and was made to drink it, along with some beer, as part of the ritual.
The aftermath was horrifying, and permanent.
Security footage shows the teen losing his balance and falling backwards around 11pm. Fraternity members are then seen carrying him to a nearby sofa. At one point Santulli is seen falling off the sofa and not being placed back on it for 15 minutes.
After over an hour the fraternity members finally decided to take him to the hospital by themselves instead of calling for emergency medical help. Footage shows Santulli being dropped during the process of him being carried into the car.
By the time they arrived at the hospital, he was in cardiac arrest and not breathing.
Blood tests taken there later measured his blood alcohol content at 0.486%, roughly six times the legal limit.
The heartbreaking aftermath of a horrifying night
Santulli spent the following six weeks in intensive care before being transferred to a rehabilitation hospital. He lived, but the brain damage he suffered left him permanently unable to walk, speak, or see.
His family’s attorney has described it as one of the most severe fraternity hazing injuries recorded in the country.
The legal outcome of the situation
Court documents show that Ryan Delanty, who served as Santulli’s assigned “pledge dad” that night, sent a text to a friend shortly after Santulli collapsed, saying, “My son is dead.”
He pleaded guilty in 2024 to reduced misdemeanor charges related to hazing and providing alcohol to a minor. He was sentenced to six months in jail followed by six months of house arrest.
According to his lawyer, Stephanie Fortus, he is remorseful.
“He knows how devastating this has been to Danny’s family. He knows the injuries that Danny has suffered. He understands the recklessness of handing him that bottle of vodka that night. There is not a minute that goes by that he doesn’t wish that could change.”
Santulli’s brother, Nick, wasn’t convinced though, when speaking during a victim impact statement in court.
“On the night of Oct. 19, 2021, no one had Danny’s back. Because of peer pressure, he was left to die on that dreadful night. And they’ve shown no remorse, especially to our family.”
The Santulli family also filed a civil lawsuit against the fraternity and 23 of its members, which was later settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
A documented pattern rather than an isolated case
David Bianchi, the family’s attorney and a specialist in hazing litigation, said Santulli’s case reflects a broader pattern rather than a one-off failure.
“These are part of a pattern of unsafe and dangerous behavior that represents the traditions of the fraternity,” he said.
Santulli had been hospitalized previously after an older member of the fraternity had instructed him to climb inside a trash can filled with broken glass.
According to university records cited by the New York Post, Phi Gamma Delta’s Missouri chapter had six documented alcohol distribution violations and two hazing violations since 2017. The chapter was shut down following Santulli’s hospitalization.
Rob Caudill, executive director of Phi Gamma Delta’s international organization, addressed the case directly.
“Danny should not have been put in such a situation,” he said. “The International Fraternity prohibits hazing and the provision of alcohol to minors and expects all members to follow the law and our policies. We support anyone being held accountable for their conduct and the consequences that may result. The International Fraternity acted immediately to stop all activities of the chapter, which is now closed.”
The family is focusing on prevention
Santulli’s parents have spoken publicly about the case in hopes of preventing similar incidents. His father, Tom Santulli, reviewed the full, chilling security footage from that night.
“People say, ‘Are you sure you want to see it?’ Yes, I want to see what happened to my son. I do want to see the abuse. I want to see exactly what happened,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Now we’re focused, now we’re on a mission, and we’re going to hold people accountable for what happened that evening.”
Santulli’s mother, Mary Pat Santulli, encourages families to do research into the sororities and fraternities they’re sending their children to – and their possible past violations.
“This is real, this is happening to other students. It will continue if fraternities and sororities are still going on. People need to be educated and we need to talk to our kids. Parents need to do their research and find out if any of these sororities or fraternities have had past violations, what the record is.”
Tom Santulli thinks his son survived for an important reason.
“I think Danny’s alive… because other kids were not as fortunate when there was a hazing incident. He’s alive for a reason.”
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