NEW YORK, United States: A US teenager died of cardiac arrest after taking part in a social media challenge asking people to eat one extremely hot tortilla chip, an autopsy revealed on Thursday.
Harris Wolobah, a 14-year-old from Massachusetts, died in September after taking part in the so-called “One Chip Challenge” — which involved a single chip made by Paqui dusted with Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper peppers.
The Courage has seen several iterations over the years, with the peppers changing each time.
The local chief medical examiner found that Harris died of cardiac arrest after consuming food high in a chili pepper extract called capsaicin, according to an autopsy report.
The autopsy also concluded the teenager had an enlarged heart, which may have contributed to his death.
Weeks after his death, Paqui pulled the product — packaged in a coffin-shaped box with a red skull and labeled “extreme heat” — from stores.
In California, three youths were hospitalized after taking part in the dare, and seven fell ill in Minnesota for the same reason, according to media reports.
