Fake Armed Kidnapping Incident Staged by High School Lacrosse Players Was 'Hazing on Steroids,' Prosecutor Says

Several high school lacrosse players in upstate New York were given a deadline to turn themselves in this week in connection with an alleged hazing incident — or face serious legal trouble.

Nearly a dozen lacrosse players from Westhill High School in Syracuse, N.Y., reportedly turned themselves in after the Onondaga District Attorney says they staged a fake armed kidnapping that victimized at least five teammates on Thursday, April 24. 

District Attorney William Fitzpatrick described the incident as “hazing on steroids,” according to a report from WSYR.

In a press conference reported by WSYR, Fitzpatrick said the incident began when a student was driven to a remote area by a teammate, who claimed he was lost. A group of other students then jumped out of the woods, dressed in black and armed with at least one gun and one knife, the district attorney reportedly said.

The teens then put a pillowcase over the head of the victim, tied his hands and put him in the trunk of a car before leaving him in a remote wooded area, according to Fitzpatrick. The victim was eventually returned home.

“I’ve seen the video tape of what happened to this young man, it is not a rite of passage, it is not a trivial matter,” Fitzpatrick said at the reported press conference. “I find it incomprehensible that in this day and age that somebody thought they could have gotten away with something like this.”

Fitzpatrick said at least four other students were able to escape being victimized in a similar way.

At the Tuesday, April 29 press conference, CNN reported, Fitzpatrick said he was giving the involved students 48 hours to turn themselves in. If they met the deadline, the outlets reported, they would be charged with a misdemeanor in family court and not face a criminal record.

If the suspected teens did not cooperate, Fitzpatrick reportedly said, they would have been charged as adults with second-degree kidnapping.

WSYR subsequently reported that all 11 students turned themselves in within 24 hours.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. 

Tom Cerio, an attorney for one of the students, said his client recognized “that their actions were inappropriate, and do not minimize the fear and distress experienced by the other students,” according to Good Morning America. 

“I cannot really adequately express to this community the level of stupidity and lack of judgement involved in this case,” Fitzpatrick said.

CNN reported that Westhill Central School Superintendent Stephen Durham said the remainder of the varsity boys lacrosse season would be canceled.

“We must address the culture of the program, and the most appropriate way to do that is with a reset,” he said.