‘One Chip Challenge’, a social media trend going viral in the US, involves eating the “spiciest” tortilla chip. Harris Wolobah, a 14-year-old high school student in Worcester, Massachusetts, also decided to take part in the viral trend.
However, his family blamed the challenge when their son died not so long after taking part in it. Wolobah was left with a bad stomach ache after his classmate gave him the chip.
He was taken to the nurse’s office, after which his mother was called to pick him up. Harris felt better on arriving home but at 4:30 pm on Friday, his brother yelled that he had passed away, his mother told NBC10 Boston.
WHAT IS THE ONE CHIP CHALLENGE?
‘One Chip Challenge’ is a social media phenomenon gaining popularity in parts of the US. Paqui, the company that manufactures the chips, described it as a “truly twisted experience” on its website.
The snack is branded as the ‘spiciest tortilla chip in the world’. One needs to wait for as long as possible after eating it, before they can have something for relief.
The chip comes in a coffin container and has a warning that it should be kept away from children. “Do not eat if you’re sensitive to spicy food, allergic to peppers, night shades or capsaicin, or are pregnant, or have any medical conditions,” the warning reads.
The chip contains Carolina Reaper Pepper and Naga Viper Pepper this year, according to the website.
The challenge has been around for several years. Several schools in California’s Bay Area had earlier issued warnings against it after some students who consumed the Paqui chip had to be sent home.
HOW DID THE TEEN DIE?
After being brought home from school by his mother, Lois Wolobah, over a stomach ache complaint, Harris was getting ready to leave for basketball tryouts. That is when his brother yelled in shock and said Harris had died.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead. His autopsy results are pending and it cannot be ascertained if the viral challenge was responsible for his death.
Lois said her son should have been sent to the hospital instead of home after going to the nurse’s office. After her son’s death, she has been warning others against trying out the viral challenge.
Police are investigating the teenager’s death, a Worcester police spokesperson told NBC10 Boston.
“As a mother and educator, I cannot imagine how hard this is on his family, friends and teachers,” Worcester Schools Superintendent Rachel Monarrez was quoted as saying by Boston 25.
“It is with a heavy heart I share that we lost a rising star, Harris Wolobah, who was a sophomore scholar at Doherty Memorial High School. As a mother and educator, I cannot imagine how hard this is on his family, friends and teachers,” Monarrez said in her statement on Sunday.
Harris’s classmates and school authorities remembered him as “a great kid who loved his family and basketball”.
Local doctors, Harris’s friends and family are warning others against the challenge, saying it could “potentially kill”.
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