(DailyVantage.com) – A Massachusetts teen passed away on Friday, September 1, 2023, hours after consuming a very spicy tortilla chip. The teenager, 14-year-old Harris Wolobah, died after completing the social media “one chip challenge”.
The challenge involves eating a chip made by Pacqui. The chip comes individually wrapped and is made from the two spiciest peppers in the world: the Carolina Reaper and the Naga Viper. Part of the challenge includes waiting as long as possible before drinking or eating something to ease the discomfort caused by the spicy peppers and posting a video of the entire ordeal online.
Pacqui does promote the challenge on the company website but specifies that only adults should participate as the spicy chip is not meant for children. The website also lists several safety precautions and advises anyone who experiences “difficulty breathing, fainting, or extended nausea” to seek medical help.
Unfortunately, teenagers across the country are now participating in the challenge, prompting school districts to warn parents about the potential dangers. Several students in the San Francisco Bay area became ill after consuming the chip. First responders in Georgia were called to a high school to treat a student who had consumed the Pacqui chip.
In Wobolah’s case, he took the “challenge” during school hours and became ill. His parents picked him up from school following a call from the school nurse. Wolobah began feeling better after returning home and intended to go to basketball tryouts. Shortly before tryouts, he was found unconscious by his brother. The teen was pronounced dead at a local hospital after being transported by family members.
The autopsy is still pending, and the cause of death has not been confirmed. The teen’s mother, Lois Wolobah, told a local media outlet that she believes the “one chip challenge” was the cause of her son’s death. A “cousin” of the deceased mirrored the notion on a GoFundMe page created to assist the family with costs related to the incident.
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