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Death of Won Jang

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Won Jang
Borncirca 2003-2004
South Korea
DiedJuly 6 or 7, 2024 (aged 20)
Connecticut River, U.S.
EducationDartmouth College
Parents
  • Hong Phil Jang (father)
  • JuYoung Oh (mother)

Won Jang, a 20-year-old biomedical engineering student at Dartmouth College, was found dead in the Connecticut River on July 7, 2024. He was last seen on the previous night at a social gathering between his fraternity Beta Alpha Omega and the Alpha Phi sorority by docks on the river.

Background

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The son of Hong Phil Jang and JuYoung Oh,[1] Won Jang was from and grew up in South Korea. He moved to Delaware in middle school,[2] living in the town of Middletown, and graduated valedictorian from Middletown High School in 2022. Jang participated in various academic clubs such as Science Olympiad, Math League, HOSA and Business Professionals of America, volunteered in the local community through the National Honor Society and created his own Korean club in high school to teach his friends Korean at their request. Before graduating, he aspired to become a research scientist in molecular/cellular biology and planned to study biomedical engineering at Dartmouth College.[1][3]

Jang was a project manager at the DALI Lab, research assistant at the Thayer School of Engineering and member of the Beta Alpha Omega fraternity. He also participated in the TuckLAB entrepreneurship program and served as an international student mentor for the Office of Pluralism and Leadership.[4] In college, he met his girlfriend Lydia Jin, who was also a sophomore at the time of his death, at badminton tryouts through a mutual friend and started a band together. Jin described Jang as the "kindest person that I knew" and said "He wanted to be the first Korean to win a Nobel Prize, especially in science, and he wanted to cure Alzheimer's. There's a lot about him that I can't really put into so many words. But he cared really deeply for his friends and for his family. And everyone is really, really grieving his loss right now." According to Jin, Jang did not know how to swim.[2] Kledian Marinaj, a friend of Jang, described him as always "amazing" and smiling.[5][6]

Beta Alpha Omega received a suspension that spanned from fall 2023 to spring 2024[5] for an incident in the fall,[6] and was on alcohol probation at the time of Jang's death. College spokesperson Morgan Kelly told CNN that the Alpha Phi sorority was placed on alcohol probation during the fall 2023 term and then returned to good standing.[5][6]

Death

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On Saturday, July 6, 2024, Jang dropped Jin off on campus earlier in the day and said he loved her.[2] Later that night, he attended a joint event with Beta Alpha Omega and Alpha Phi which took place near the Connecticut River and involved alcohol.[7] Jang was last seen at 9:30 p.m. by the Ledyard Canoe Club,[4] in the area of 8 Boathouse Road.[6][8] The next day, Jang did not arrive at an appointment,[5][9][10] and his fraternity brothers reported him missing around 3:15 p.m. on Sunday, July 7th.[8]

The Hanover police and fire departments, Lebanon and Hartford fire departments, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and Upper Valley Wilderness Response Team all responded to the scene to assist with the search for Jang,[10] which included several divers, a drone and a sonar team using an underwater camera.[3][9][11] Items found near the dock indicated that Jang had not left the river area.[3][5][9][10][11] Around 7:30 p.m., Jang's body was found in the Connecticut River and approximately 65 feet from the shore by the camera not far from the dock.[2][3][5][6][8][9][11]

The Hanover Police Department opened an investigation in Won Jang's death on July 7, 2024.[7] The official cause of death was drowning, and Jang had a blood-alcohol level of .167, according to a police statement.[7][12]

Investigation

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Won Jang's cause of death is currently undetermined.[5][9] Charlie Dennis, chief of the Hanover Police Department, stated that the department received anonymous emails from the college indicating hazing and/or alcohol may have contributed to Jang's death.[3][5][6][9][10] Amid the investigation, Dartmouth College has suspended Beta Alpha Omega and Alpha Phi.[2][5] Later, the Hanover Police charged Alpha Phi and two members of Beta Alpha Omega with underage alcohol offenses.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Won Jang – DDOE Awards and Recognition". Delaware Department of Education. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e Burke, Minyvonne; Baek, Susan; Ikeda, Emilie (July 10, 2024). "Police investigating hazing after Dartmouth student is found dead in river". NBC. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e Robledo, Anthony; Parra, Esteban; Horn, Brittany. "Won Jang '26 dies at age 20; authorities investigating potential hazing". The News Journal. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Won Jang '26 dies at age 20; authorities investigating potential hazing". The Dartmouth. July 7, 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Ebrahimji, Alisha (July 10, 2024). "Dartmouth student's death prompts police hazing probe as university suspends 2 Greek organizations". CNN. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Flood, Alanna (July 8, 2024). "Dartmouth College community shaken by student's death; police investigating possible hazing". WMUR-TV. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Dennis, Charles B. (November 22, 2024). Media Release. Hanover Police Department.
  8. ^ a b c Sudborough, Susannah (July 8, 2024). "Body of missing Dartmouth College student Won Jang found in river, police say". Masslive. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Brewer, Ray (July 8, 2024). "Police investigating report of alcohol use, hazing after body of Dartmouth student found". WMUR-TV. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d Fortier, Marc (July 8, 2024). "Missing Dartmouth College student found dead in NH river". NBC Boston. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  11. ^ a b c Robledo, Anthony (July 8, 2024). "Dartmouth student found dead in river leads police to open hazing investigation". USA Today. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  12. ^ Brennan, Shane (November 23, 2024).After death of Delawarean, Dartmouth Greek life members facing related charges. Delaware News Journal.
  13. ^ Selig, Kate (24 November 2024). "Dartmouth Sorority and 2 Fraternity Members Are Charged After Student's Drowning". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
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