A 20-year-old Lafayette man was found dead in a Berkeley frat house Sunday – the afternoon after a party at Zeta Psi house brought what neighbors described as “hundreds” of youthful party guests to the residence at 2728 Bancroft Ave.
Berkeley police responded to a call of an unconscious and unresponsive male guest discovered lying face down in a room at the house shortly after noon Sunday. Firefighters confirmed that the man, identified by his friends Sunday as Vaibhev Loomba of Lafayette, had died at an undetermined time after a party at Zeta Psi.
Loomba, who graduated from Acalanes High School and who ran track and participated in Model U.N., was a popular former student who studied at UC Davis. Friends said he was originally from Antioch.
A neighbor said the Saturday night party was heavily attended and “going strong” well into early Sunday morning. The Zeta Psi fraternity had previously attracted the attention of police in October – when a large party grew so boisterous Berkeley police declared it a public nuisance under an existing “second response” ordinance.
Berkeleyside reporter Emilie Raguso posted a picture of a police warning notice issued in October and taped inside the fraternity’s door Sunday. It warned of possible legal action in the event of any future disturbances.
Homicide investigators were at the Zeta Psi house Sunday, called in to interview witnesses and look into the details surrounding Loomba’s death. Their presence was not an indication of any perceived foul play.
