NEWARK, N.J., Sept. 29 (UPI) -- A New Jersey teenager apparently committed suicide after he had a homosexual encounter broadcast over the Internet without his knowledge, his family said.
In a statement, the family of Tyler Clementi said the 18-year-old Rutgers University freshman committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge and that his body has not been found, The Newark Star-Ledger reported Wednesday.
"Tyler was a fine young man, and a distinguished musician. The family is heartbroken beyond words. They respectfully request that they be given time to grieve their great loss and that their privacy at this painful time be respected by all," the statement said. "The family and their representatives are cooperating fully with the ongoing criminal investigations of two Rutgers University students."
Clementi's roommate Dharun Ravi, 18, and Molly Wei, 18, were charged with two counts each of invasion of privacy for setting up a camera in a Clementi's Rutgers dorm room Sept. 19 and using it to view and transmit a live sex scene, Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan said.
Clementi was a violinist attending Rutgers on a scholarship from the Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra.
Ravi surrendered to Rutgers police Tuesday and was released on $25,000 bail, the prosecutor's office said. Wei surrendered to the campus police Monday and was released on her own recognizance.
If convicted, Ravi and Wei could face up to five years in prison each, the Star-Ledger reported.
