A tragic incident has claimed the life of a young man in Massachusetts after a viral food challenges involving extremely spicy items.
According to an autopsy report, a Massachusetts teenager named Harris Wolobah died after ingesting a high amount of chili pepper extract from participating in a “spicy tortilla chip challenge” circulating on social media.
Wolobah, a 10th-grade student from Worcester, was found unresponsive by police at his home on September 1, 2023, after eating one of the chips.
He was rushed to the hospital but unfortunately passed away. The autopsy listed the cause of death as cardiopulmonary arrest “in the setting of recent ingestion of food substance with high capsaicin concentration.”
The report also noted that Wolobah had an enlarged heart and a congenital heart defect, which may have been exacerbating factors. The death certificate was officially released to the city clerk’s office on March 5th, after the cause of death determination on February 27th.
In the wake of this tragedy, the manufacturer of the extremely hot tortilla chip, Paqui, asked retailers to stop selling the product. The incident has raised concerns about the potential risks of food challenges involving dangerously spicy items, especially for those with underlying health conditions.