An American teenager tragically suffered cardiac arrest and passed away after participating in a social media challenge that dared individuals to consume an exceptionally spicy tortilla chip.
Harris Wolobah, a 14-year-old from Massachusetts, lost his life in September during the ‘One Chip Challenge,’ which featured a single chip coated with Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper peppers, produced by Paqui.
A sad story in Massachusetts, as 14-year-old Harris Wolobah died after eating a spicy tortilla chip called the “One Chip Challenge.” Now his grieving parents want the chip taken off the market. pic.twitter.com/XSMUSvqYUN
— Jack-of-all-trades (@Upliftingvision) February 12, 2024
In various versions of the dare over the years, the type of peppers involved has changed. According to the autopsy report, the local chief medical examiner attributed Harris’s death to cardiac arrest resulting from the consumption of a food containing a significant quantity of capsaicin, a chili pepper extract.
Following the autopsy, it was determined that the teenager had an enlarged heart, which may have played a role in his demise. Shortly after his passing, Paqui withdrew the product—packaged in a coffin-shaped box adorned with a red skull and labeled ‘extreme heat’—from store shelves.
Media reports indicate that three youths in California were hospitalized for participating in the dare, while seven individuals in Minnesota fell ill for the same reason.
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