Content Warning: This article contains discussions of sexual assault.

Police in River Vale, New Jersey arrested a 20-year-old man on Jan. 8 in connection with an alleged incident of sexual assault that occurred early on New Year’s Day.

The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office charged Julian Morris, a former Binghamton University student, with first-degree aggravated sexual assault and second-degree sexual assault under state law.

His defense attorney, Laura Sutnick of the New Jersey firm Sutnick & Sutnick, told Pipe Dream that Morris pleaded not guilty and “maintains his innocence.” On Jan. 15, Morris appeared before Bergen County Superior Court Judge Marc D. Ramundo for a detention hearing to determine whether he should be held in jail pending trial.

After considering a variety of factors, Ramundo determined that Morris could be released pending further proceedings under “the condition of no contact with the victim or others present at the incident,” according to the prosecutor’s office. In 2017, New Jersey moved away from a cash-bail system to a “risk-based system,” which the state believes is more objective.

In an interview with Pipe Dream, Sutnick said Morris’ case is in the pre-indictment stage. While some legal cases can be resolved at that point, Sutnick added that the “likelihood of it working out” in this instance “is very low because the prosecutor still needs to get a lot more information and we still need to have a lot of conversations about the facts and circumstances of the case.”

A pre-indictment court date is scheduled with Bergen County Judge James Sattely.

Depending on further exchanges with the prosecutor’s office, additional pre-indictment conferences may be scheduled or the case could move to the indictment stage, according to Sutnick.

“Julian Morris maintains his innocence, and he has strong community support,” Sutnick said. “And every case is based on facts and lack of facts, proof and lack of proof, evidence and lack of evidence. And cases shouldn’t be decided based on social media. They should be decided based on evidence.”

A message obtained by Pipe Dream indicates that Morris was a member of the Zeta Psi fraternity. Previously recognized by the University, the chapter is now considered an off-campus fraternity after it was suspended in September 2024 for violating the Zeta Psi headquarters’ national policies.

On Jan. 9, a member of Zeta Psi sent a message to members of a University-recognized sorority regarding the New Year’s Day incident in New Jersey.

“We understand the severity of this situation and are praying for the victim and their family,” it read.

According to the message, Morris is no longer a member of the fraternity.

Some University students find fraternities somewhat controversial, particularly regarding the party culture atmosphere.

“Greek-life party culture, especially within male fraternities, creates predictable conditions for harm: heavy alcohol use, social status hierarchies, peer pressure, and private spaces controlled by men,” wrote the University’s Feminist Collective in an E-Board statement. “Research has repeatedly found associations between fraternity involvement and higher risk of sexual aggression, and national campus research has linked fraternity-party attendance with higher risk of incapacitated sexual assault.”

However, other students have a positive view of fraternities as places of community and friendship.

“We’re a community filled with all kids from all backgrounds who get together, socialize and help each other become better people,” wrote an anonymous University student in a statement to Pipe Dream.

The University’s Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life did not return Pipe Dream’s requests for comment.

“These are allegations, and the accused is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court, but the seriousness of these charges demands a community response grounded in survivor care, accountability, and prevention,” wrote the Feminist Collective.