4 Fraternity Members Charged After Pledge Is 'Set on Fire' and Suffers 16 Percent Burns During Party ‘Skit’

Mar. 15, 2025

Frat Row at San Diego State University.Photo: Photo Credit: Marisa Benjamin

Four fraternity members at San Diego State University have been charged in connection with a “skit” performed at a party that left one pledge hospitalized with 16 percent burns on his body.

Caden Cooper, 22, Lucas Cowling, 20, Christopher Serrano, 20, and Lars Larsen, 19, pleaded not guilty in court on Monday, Jan. 6. to charges related to the Feb. 17, 2024 incident, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office said in anews release.

Larsen was left with 16 percent, third-degree burns “primarily on his legs” from the skit and was hospitalized for “weeks,” per the release.

San Diego State University.Geographer / Wikimedia Commons

“After consuming alcohol in [Pledge Board member] Cowling’s presence, the underage students executed the skit which caused burns to Larsen on 16 percent of his body, primarily on his legs,” the San Diego County DA’s Office stated.

Larsen was transported to the hospital where he spent many weeks being treated for his third-degree burns, according to the release.

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All of the fraternity members, including Larsen, received at least one felony charge, including recklessly causing a fire with great bodily injury, conspiracy to commit an act injurious to the public, and violating the social host ordinance.

The defendants face sentences ranging from probation to up to seven years and two months in prison if convicted of all their charges.

San Diego State University.Marisa Benjamin

The students, who pleaded not guilty, were released on the court’s conditions that they do not attend any fraternity parties or take part in any further recruitment events for the fraternity, according to the release. The fraternity members must also obey all laws “including those related to alcohol consumption.”

A hearing over the charges is scheduled for March 18. A preliminary hearing date is set for April 16.

Reached for comment, San Diego State said that Phi Kappa Psi has been placed on an interim suspension as the school conducts an administrative investigation. The university also disclosed having taken “additional actions,” but did not elaborate, citing student privacy laws.

source: people.com