WORCESTER (AP) – The death of a Massachusetts teenager after he ate an extremely spicy tortilla chip has led to an outpouring of concern about the social media challenge and prompted retailers to pull the product from their shelves at the manufacturer’s request.
The family of Harris Wolobah held a vigil a week after his death on September 1, to remember the basketball-loving 10th grader while they await the results of an autopsy to determine what killed him.
Wolobah’s family has blamed the One Chip Challenge for the teen’s death.The challenge calls for participants to eat an eponymously named chip and then see how long they can go without consuming other food and water.
The family has declined interview requests.
Police said they were called to the home on September 1 and found Wolobah unresponsive and not breathing. He was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The state medical examiner’s office said it will likely take weeks before Wolobah’s cause of death is determined.
But the chip’s manufacturer, Paqui, asked retailers to stop selling the product.
People have been weighing in about their own experiences with the chip, which costs roughly USD10 and comes individually wrapped in foil in a coffin-shaped box that warns, among other things, that it is made for the vengeful pleasure of intense heat and pain, is intended for adults and should be kept out of the reach of children.
Despite the warning, children have had no problem buying the chips.
A 10-year-old Florida girl was suspended this week for bringing one to school, her father, D’Anton Patrick, told West Palm Beach television station WPTV.
