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Conor Donnelly, an 18-year-old freshman at Binghamton University, was attending a house party hosted by Alpha Sigma Phi at 92 Front St., when he fell around 2 p.m. while attempting to climb to a third-floor balcony from a fourth-floor balcony, said Capt. J. D. Collins.
Donnelly was transported to Wilson Hospital and shortly afterward pronounced dead. His death has been ruled accidental. Autopsy findings support that Donnelly had been drinking and it is believed the amount of alcohol he had consumed was a contributing factor, Collins said.
The 2016 graduate of Nanuet Senior High School was in the process of pledging to the fraternity. The party was attended by numerous students and there is no evidence that Donnelly’s death was the result of hazing, Collins added.
"It is always difficult to lose someone, but it is especially difficult to lose a young member of our campus community so suddenly," Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger said in the statement.
Binghamton University is providing counseling for students affected by Donnelly's death.
The incident is still being investigated and anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Binghamton Police Detective Bureau at 607-772-7080.
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