Teen died from eating spicy chip as part of social media challenge, autopsy report concludes
An American teen who participated in a spicy tortilla chip challenge on social media died from ingesting a substance containing a high amount of the chilli pepper extract capsaicin, according to an autopsy report obtained by The Associated Press.
Harris Wolobah, a 10th grader from Massachusetts, died on September 1, 2023, after eating the chip.
He was found unresponsive by police who were called to his home, and brought to a hospital, where he died.
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US teen Harris Wolobah died after taking part in the One Chip Challenge. CNN
The cause of death was listed as cardiopulmonary arrest “in the setting of recent ingestion of food substance with high capsaicin concentration".
The report also noted that the teen had an enlarged heart and a congenital heart defect.
Wolobah's mother said last year she believed the teenager died of complications from the One Chip Challenge, NBC10 reported.
It's a craze linked to chip company, Paqui, which was pulled from shelves after the teen's death.
The Associated Press sent an email seeking comment to Hershey on Thursday.
The cause of Harris' death was determined on February 27, and a death certificate was released to the Worcester city clerk's office on March 5, according to Elaine Driscoll, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.
The One Chip Challenge chip sold for about US$10 ($15) and came wrapped in a sealed foil pouch enclosed in a coffin-shaped cardboard box.
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The package warns that the chip is made for the "vengeful pleasure of intense heat and pain", is intended for adults and should be kept out of reach of children.
Lois Walobah told NBC10 Boston that she was called to the school by a nurse and that her son had told him a classmate gave him the chip, leaving him with a bad stomach ache.
The social media challenge involves eating an extremely spicy chip. CNN
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He felt better after they got home, but at 4.30pm, when he was about to leave for basketball, his brother yelled that he'd passed out, she said, according to the website.
Harris was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The family has been waiting for the results of the autopsy.
Despite the warnings, children had no problem buying the chips, and there had been reports from around the country of teens who got sick after taking part in the chip-eating challenge.
Among them were three California high school students who were taken to a hospital and seven students in Minnesota who were treated by paramedics after taking part in the challenge in 2022.
The challenge called for participants to eat the Paqui chip and then see how long they could go without consuming other food and water.
Despite the warning, children had no problem buying the chips, and there had been reports from around the country of teens who got sick after taking part in the chip-eating challenge. CNN
Sales of the chip seemed largely driven by people posting videos on social media of them or their friends taking the challenge.
They showed people, including children, unwrapping the packaging, eating the chips and then reacting to the heat.
Some videos showed people gagging, coughing and begging for water.
Spicy food challenges have been around for years.
From local chile pepper eating contests to restaurant walls of fame for those who finished extra hot dishes, people around the world have been daring each other to eat especially fiery foods, with some experts pointing to the internal rush of competition and risk-taking.
A YouTube series called Hot Ones rose to internet fame several years ago with videos of celebrities' reactions to eating spicy wings.
Meanwhile, restaurants in the US have offered in-person challenges — from Buffalo Wild Wings' "Blazin' Challenge to the "Hell Challenge" of Wing King in Las Vegas.
In both challenges, patrons over 18 can attempt to eat a certain amount of wings doused in extra hot sauce in limited time without drinking or eating other food.
Chile pepper eating contests are also regularly hosted around the world.
Extremely spicy products created and marketed solely for the challenges — and possible internet fame — is a more recent phenomenon exacerbated by social media.
Harris' death spurred warnings from Massachusetts authorities and physicians, who cautioned that eating such spicy foods can have unintended consequences.
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