14-year-old boy Harris Wolobah dies after participating in TikTok viral One Chip Challenge
A tenth-grade boy has suddenly died after partaking in the viral ‘One Chip Challenge.’ According to NBC Boston, Harris Wolobah died on the same day he participated in the online trend known as the “One Chip Challenge.” Harris hailed from Worcester, Massachusetts, and was only 14 at the time of his death.
One Chip Challenge requires one to eat the entire chip and then wait as long as possible before drinking or eating anything else.
On September 1, the boy’s mother was called to the school when Harris complained of a stomachache. He’d eaten the dangerously spicy chip after it was given to him by a classmate.
The young teen felt better after going home but he passed out at 4.30pm when he was about to leave for basketball tryouts.
Speaking with the Worcester Telegram, police Lt. Sean Murtha said the boy was unresponsive and not breathing. He was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.
While Harris’s death marks the first reported fatality after eating the chips, many other children have needed medical attention after eating them.
In October 2022, a school district in Lafayette, Louisiana banned the chips from all campuses after multiple students needed medical attention.
Less than one month later, paramedics were called to a high school in Dunwood, Georgia, prompting police to issue a warning about the snack.
It remains unclear if the spicy chip contributed to Harris’s death and an autopsy is pending.
On September 3, Dr. Rachel Monárrez, Superintendent of Worcester Public Schools, issued a statement that was published to the Worcester Public Schools website.
She referred to the teen as a ‘rising star’.