A Massachusetts teenager died after ingesting a large amount of chili extract while participating in a viral social media challenge to eat spicy tortilla chips, according to an autopsy report obtained by .
Harris Wolobah, 14, a 10th grade student from Worcester, died on September 1, 2023 after eating the chip. The police, who went to his home, found him unconscious and took him to a hospital, where he died.
The cause of death has now been listed as cardiopulmonary arrest “in the context of recent ingestion of a food substance with a high concentration of capsaicin.”
The child had an enlarged heart and a congenital heart defect, according to the forensic report, whose conclusions were shared with the news agency by email by Elaine Driscoll, of the state Executive Office of Public Safety.
The cause of death was determined on February 27 and the death certificate was delivered to the city clerk's office on March 5.
The manufacturer of Paqui, the tortilla chip allegedly involved in the incident, asked retailers to stop selling the product shortly after Harris' death.
The product, which sells individually for $10, comes wrapped in aluminum foil inside a coffin-shaped box that contains the warning that it is intended for “revengeful pleasure of intense spiciness and pain.”
The warning states that it is for adult consumption only and should be kept out of the reach of children. But minors have had no problem buying it: There have been reports from around the country of teenagers who have fallen ill after participating in the challenge, including three California high school students who had to be hospitalized. Paramedics responded to an emergency report at a Minnesota school when seven students fell ill after participating in this viral online challenge.
