New York fraternity is suspended after disturbing footage emerges showing members 'forcing a 10-month-old puppy to drink beer from a keg'
- A video of the incident was recorded Saturday during an off-campus party at Hofstra University's Alpha Epsilon Pi chapter in Hempstead, New York
- Two party-goers hoist the pup into the air and spray beer directly into its mouth
- The young King Charles Cavalier Spaniel appears to struggle to escape their grip
- The clip has gone viral, sparking outrage in the community and online
- The owner was identified as one of the men in the video and may face charges
A disturbing video showing members of a New York fraternity forcing a 10-month-old puppy to drink beer from a keg has sparked outrage in the community and on social media.
The footage was recorded via Snapchat on Saturday during an off-campus party at Hofstra University's Alpha Epsilon Pi chapter, which has been suspended after the video went viral.
Two party-goers can be seen hoisting the young King Charles Cavalier Spaniel into the air and spraying beer directly into its mouth as it struggles to escape from their grip.
A disturbing Snapchat video shows the moment two members of Hofstra University's Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity force a 10-month-old puppy to drink beer out of a keg at a party
The two men, one of whom was identified as the dog's owner, can be seen hoisting it into the air and spraying beer into its mouth as the pet desperately struggles to free itself
The video was brought to the attention of the Nassau County SPCA, which is investigating the incident and may bring charges against the dog's owner, identified on social media as 21-year-old Hofstra senior Justin Barreto.
SPCA spokesman Gary Rogers said the owner was one of the men in the clip.
'It's wrong on every level. It's just not rational thinking,' Rogers told CBS New York.
He said the charges would likely be 'a misdemeanor for failure to provide adequate sustenance and overdrive and torture of an animal'.
Despite the investigation, the dog has been returned to its owner. The SCPA said the pet is currently living in good conditions and doing fine.
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Neighbor Violet Avery, who lives a few doors down from the AEPi house in Hempstead, said she has dealt with the fraternity's parties for decades, but this one crosses the line.
'That's disgusting. A dog can't say no,' Avery told CBS New York.
'They are young people, they want to have fun, but there is a sense of decency in the neighborhood.'
Hofstra officials condemned the incident and said the students involved will be punished for violating the university's code of conduct.
The fraternity's media spokesman Justin Pierce released a statement about the incident, saying: 'Alpha Epsilon Pi International has placed our chapter at Hofstra University on "cease and desist" due to suspected violations of our health and safety policies.
'We hope that we are able to use this as a teaching moment to help build better young men who are committed to our policies and our mission of developing the future leaders of the world's Jewish communities.'
Alpha Epsilon Pi was founded at New York University in 1913 and claims to be 'the world's leading Jewish social fraternity'.
A Hofstra University spokesperson said the students involved in the incident will be punished for violating the school's code of conduct (file photo)
