Last modified on 2023 Sep 05
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A 14-year-old boy from
Massachusetts died unexpectedly a short time after he ate a particularly spicy tortilla chip, leaving his family grieving and searching for answers.
Harris Wolobah died on Friday, said a statement from officials at the Worcester public school district where the boy studied.
Harris’s cause of death had not been determined on Tuesday as results of his autopsy remained pending, but his relatives fear that complications from eating an extremely spicy tortilla chip from the manufacturer Pacqui were a factor, according to an online GoFundMe campaign meant to benefit his family.
The campaign’s organizer, who describes herself as a cousin of Harris, wrote: “The pain our family is experiencing is unimaginable.”
Pacqui did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company promotes a “one chip challenge” and invites consumers to publish videos of themselves on social media eating the product derived from two of the world’s hottest peppers.
Harris’s mother, Lois Wolobah, told the local television news outlet WBTS that her son was given a Pacqui chip by a fellow student at Doherty Memorial high school in Worcester, Massachusetts. Harris soon had an intense stomachache and went to the school nurse, who called his mother to pick him up.
Harris felt some relief after going home, but then he lost consciousness as he prepared to go try out for a basketball team, Lois Wolobah reportedly said.
After his brother found him passed out, Harris was brought to a nearby hospital. He was pronounced dead there.
Worcester police confirmed that they were among the authorities investigating Harris’s death, WBTS reported. But officers stopped short of saying whether they were investigating any activities beyond the Harris’s consumption of a Pacqui chip as a possible contributor to his death.
Lois Wolobah subsequently told WBTS that she believes her son should have been sent to the hospital instead of to his home after going to the nurse’s office. And she said she spoke to the outlet so that families become aware of warnings associated with the Pacqui chips.
The individually wrapped tortilla chips are made from the Carolina Reaper and Scorpion chili peppers, which are two of the spiciest in the world, information from Pacqui shows. Pacqui warns consumers that the chips are for adults only and should be kept away from children or anyone who has allergies or sensitivities to spicy food.
The Pacqui-pushed one chip challenge is popular on TikTok, where users have posted videos of themselves eating the treats and seeing how long they can forego drinking or eating something meant to neutralize the spicy sensation it provokes.
Challenge participants mostly report tears or stomach pain. But the challenge did draw unflattering headlines when first responders in Georgia reported that they had to go to a local high school to treat a student who tried to participate in the one chip challenge.
Several students in California’s Bay Area who reported getting sick after attempting the challenge also reportedly prompted their school district to give parents notice about the activity.
The statement from officials in charge of Harris’s school described him as “a rising star”. A note on his family’s GoFundMe campaign – which had raised more than $22,000 as of Tuesday – said that he was an “intelligent, quirky and incredibly talented young man who loved video games and playing basketball”.
“Harris was a light that lit up the room with his presence and subtle charm,” the note on the site added.
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Harris Wolobah. Photograph: The Harris Wolobah family’s GoFundMe campaign
