US teen participates in ‘spicy chip challenge’; dies of cardiac arrest

PTC News Desk: An autopsy on Thursday found that a US teenager who had participated in a social media challenge that challenged participants to consume a single, highly hot tortilla chip passed away from cardiac arrest.

A 14-year-old Massachusetts boy named Harris Wolobah passed away in September as a result of participating in the “One Chip Challenge,” which featured one Paqui chip that was seasoned with Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper peppers. 

Over the years, the dare has taken several forms, with the peppers being a constant. 

According to the postmortem report obtained by AFP, the chief medical examiner in the area concluded that Harris suffered from cardiac arrest subsequent to consuming a food item containing a significant quantity of capsaicin, an extract from chili peppers.

The teenager’s enlarged heart may have played a role in his demise, the autopsy also revealed.

Paqui took the product down from store shelves a few days after his passing. It was packed in a coffin-shaped box with a crimson skull and the label “extreme heat.” 

According to media accounts, the dare resulted in the hospitalization of three young people in California and the illness of seven more in Minnesota.