A Cal State Long Beach student says a fraternity initiation retreat last April kicked off a brutal mix of hazing, sleep deprivation and risky late-night travel that ended with a rollover crash near Temecula that killed his friend. Camilo Losada, who survived the April 13, 2025 wreck, alleges the Pi Kappa Alpha initiation left pledges exhausted and pressured to drive home in the early morning hours. Losada and another survivor have since filed civil claims accusing the university and the chapter of negligent supervision. The suit and the fraternity’s disciplinary response have reignited questions about how Greek life is policed on campus.
Losada told CBS Los Angeles he and other pledges endured “48 hours in the hot, dusty Southern California desert” where phones and watches were confiscated and they were forced to memorize the fraternity creed while someone drove. He described being jolted awake by loud bangs, pushed into drinking competitions and ordered to dig deep holes, saying, “It’s just torture.” Losada said the weekend left him with lasting trauma and PTSD, adding, “I’ll never be the same.”
The Crash and Investigation
The three pledges left the desert camp at about 3 a.m., and the SUV later rolled over and struck a telephone pole on State Route 79 near Anza Road around 7:25 a.m. on April 13, 2025, the California Highway Patrol reported. Nineteen-year-old Preston Obeidin was pronounced dead at the scene, and two 19-year-old passengers were taken to hospitals, one with major injuries, according to local coverage. Firefighters had to extricate the back seat passenger, and a fundraiser for Obeidin’s family pulled in tens of thousands of dollars in the days after the crash, as reported by the Long Beach Post.
Investigators, Legal Claims and Fraternity Discipline
Investigators later said initial drug and alcohol screenings for the crash victims came back negative and that fatigue was a likely factor in the early morning rollover. About a year after the crash, Losada and fellow survivor Diego Collins filed claims alleging negligent supervision and control of initiation activities by the CSU Long Beach chapter and the national fraternity.
Pi Kappa Alpha’s national office responded by suspending the Iota Epsilon chapter at CSULB, revoking its charter and expelling undergraduate members. The university said it was “deeply saddened,” while also stating that it did not see itself as a proper party to lawsuits arising from the incident. Those developments were reported by CBS Los Angeles.
Campus Policy and the Hazing Backdrop
California State University, Long Beach defines hazing broadly and requires reporting and prevention training for student organizations. The campus notes that hazing is a Clery reportable offense and directs students to anonymous reporting options. The university’s hazing information page also links to systemwide CSU anti-hazing policy and the state definitions that guide enforcement. For policy context, see CSULB…