Teen who ate spicy tortilla chip died of high chile consumption and had a heart defect, autopsy says
An autopsy of a Massachusetts teen who died after participating in a spicy tortilla chip challenge says his death was caused by eating a large quantity of chile pepper extract. The results obtained by The Associated Press also note that 14-year-old Harris Wolobah had a congenital heart defect. Harris died on Sept. 1, 2023, after eating the Paqui chip. The autopsy lists the cause of death as cardiopulmonary arrest "in the setting of recent ingestion of food substance with high capsaicin concentration." Capsaicin is the component that gives chile peppers their heat. The Associated Press sent an email seeking comment Thursday to the Hershey Co., which owns Paqui. Paqui pulled the product from store shelves shortly after Harris' death.
