Pennsylvania coroner: NYC frat pledge died from head injuries

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

New York • A Pennsylvania coroner says a New York City fraternity pledge died from closed head injuries due to blunt force head trauma that authorities say stemmed from an initiation ritual.

Chun "Michael" Deng was brought to a hospital Sunday by members of the Pi Delta Psi fraternity and died a day later. Police say he was fatally injured during a ritual called the "glass ceiling."

The Luzerne County Coroner's office said Friday it has not ruled whether the death was a homicide. The investigation is ongoing.

According to a police affidavit, the members were at a home in Tunkhannock Township, Pa., about 100 miles from their New York City school, Baruch (bah-REWK') College.

The fraternity's national headquarters says it is also investigating.