Alcohol Poisoning Death

Rider University freshman Gary DeVercelly died on Friday morning in a Trenton, New Jersey hospital. His parents had flown in from California to be with their son during his final moments in intensive care.

Gary, a pledge of Phi Kappa Tau, had been drinking at the fraternity house on Wednesday evening into Thursday morning. His drink of choice - Absolut Citron vodka. It was "big-little" night and that was his "families" drink. Allegedly, he drank more than half of the bottle in 15 minutes.

Shortly after 2 a.m., Gary went into cardiac arrest and CPR was performed by rescue personnel in order to revive him before he and William A. Williams, another freshman, could be rushed to the hospital via ambulance. Williams was released Thursday afternoon after treatment. DeVercelly wasn't so lucky - he died about 30 hours after being admitted. He was just 18.


Authorities are interviewing chapter members and a hazing investigation has been launched.


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It is so frustrating to me when these senseless deaths happen because they are 100% preventable.

Phi Kappa Tau headquarters is also located in Oxford. I am friends with several of their staff members and they are experiencing the worst part of being a fraternity staffer - dealing with the death of a brother.

Unfortunately, I have been on staff for a few of these tragedies and have been the point person on-site to help our brothers deal with the aftermath. My first such event was dealing with the loss of Brother Casey Polatsek at Ohio Wesleyan University (Ohio Beta). He was killed in a chapter house fire in 1996. Current General Council member Rich Fabritius was the director of chapter services at the time and I was the director of risk management. We met with several brothers in a local restaurant and they were in a state of shock. Rich and I did what we could but we both felt so helpless.

Alcohol-free housing may be helping Phi Delta Theta reduce the chances for such an event, but we all know that there are plenty of opportunities on a college campus to drink alcohol. I am hopeful that our brothers realize you can have fun without drinking to excess. Further, I am hopeful that each brother has the courage to step in and prevent such an occurrence from happening in Phi Delta Theta.

No one on the GHQ staff wants to visit your chapter under these circumstances. If you could imagine a similar story occurring at your chapter, take the initiative now to reach out for help and guidance before your problem or concern turns into a headline.

Until the next time, remember... Go far.