A 14-year-old boy from Massachusetts died shortly after eating a spicy tortilla chip for a viral — and incredibly dangerous — social media stunt. On Friday, Harris Wolobah took part in the "one chip challenge," CBS News' WBZ reported, an online trend that involves eating a spicy chip containing Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper peppers.
Harris' mother, Lois Wolobah, told the outlet that she picked her son up from Doherty Memorial High School after a school nurse called her saying Harris had fainted after eating the chip a friend gave him. Harris was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead, Lois told NBC-10 Boston. At this time, the Wolobah family is waiting for a cause of death from the Massachusetts Medical Examiner's Office pending an autopsy. Harris' parents said Harris was a healthy basketball player with no known allergies, and are convinced that the chip was what made their son fall ill.
The "one chip challenge" was created by the snack brand Paqui. Per its website, participants must eat the singular chip, "[w]ait as long as possible before drinking or eating anything." In the wake of Harris's death and incidents of teens and other individuals not heeding to the listed warnings, the brand announced that it "is actively working with our retailers to remove the product from shelves" out of an abundance of caution. Paqui maintained that the brand has always adhered to food safety standards and included "clear and prominent labeling highlighting the chip is not for children."
