NIU Hazing Leads to 22 Arrest Warrants

On Monday, twenty-two arrest warrants were issued relating to the death of Palatine native David Bogenberger, according to the City of DeKalb website.

Bogenberger was found dead in his Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb on Nov. 2, according to a press release issued by the City of DeKalb.

His death has now been determined to be alcohol and hazing-related, and five of the warrants issued are for Class 4 Felony Hazing. Among those charged is Skokie native Andrew W Bouleanu, 21. Bouleanu is charged with a misdemeanor and not a felony.

Autopsy results showed Bogenberger, 19, had a blood alcohol content of 0.351, close to five times the legal limit for drivers, according to Northern Star, the NIU daily paper. 

The death was ruled accidental, the Northern Star reports, and according to DeKalb County Coroner Dennis Miller, Bogenberger had an enlarged heart and the alcohol caused an arrhythmia, which led to his death. 

Though his family moved to Florida after his 2012 graduation from Palatine High School, a celebration of life was held in Palatine for Bogenberger on November 6. 

The following is a list of those charged according to the City of DeKalb:

Arrest warrants have been issued for the following five fraternity leaders for Class 4 felony Hazing:

• Alexander M. Jandik, 21, of Naperville, IL, fraternity president
• James P. Harvey, 21, of DeKalb, IL, fraternity vice president
• Omar Salameh, 21, of DeKalb, IL, fraternity pledge advisor
• Patrick W. Merrill, 19, of DeKalb, IL, fraternity secretary
• Steven A. Libert, 20, of Naperville, IL, event planner

Arrest warrants for Class A misdemeanor Hazing have been issued for the following 17 members of the fraternity, who are the individuals that actively participated in the provision of alcohol in the rooms that the pledges visited:

• Michael J. Phillip, Jr., 20, of Western Springs, IL
• Thomas F. Costello, 20, of Munster, IN
• David R. Sailor, 20, of Princeton, IL
• Alexander D. Renn, 19, of Naperville, IL
• Michael A. Marroquin, 20, of Roselle, IL
• Estevan A. Diaz, 22, of South Beloit, IL
• Hazel A. Vergaralope, 21, of DeKalb, IL
• Michael D. Pfest, 23, of Chicago, IL
• Andres Jiminez, Jr., 19, of Glendale Heights, IL
• Isaiah Lott, 19, of Cupertino, CA
• Andrew W. Bouleanu, 21, of Skokie, IL
• Nicholas A. Sutor, 19, of DeKalb, IL
• Nelson A. Irizarry, 19, of DeKalb, IL
• Johnny P. Wallace, 20, of DeKalb, IL
• Daniel S. Post, 20, of DeKalb, IL
• Nsenzi Salasini, 20, of Mt. Prospect, IL
• Russ Coyner, 21, of DeKalb, IL

 --

Skokie Patch on Facebook