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Harris Wolobah died on Friday, Sept. 1, after coming home from school complaining of a stomach ache, a GoFundMe said. Police and paramedics were called to a home on Rustic Drive around 4:30 p.m., where they found the boy unresponsive, Worcester police said. They rushed him to an area hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
The Chief Medical Examiner will perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death, but Harris' family has blamed it on his attempt to recreate the spicy viral sensation, they said in a GoFundMe. His cousin wrote in the fundraiser that Harris had a bright future.
The pain our family is experiencing is unimaginable. Harris was a light that lit up the room with his presence and subtle charm. He was an intelligent, quirky, and incredibly talented young man who loved video games and playing basketball!
The "One Chip Challenge," created by Paqui, asks people to see how long they can go without drinking water to cool their mouths after eating an obscenely spicy tortilla chip.
The chip includes Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper peppers, some of the hottest on the planet. They clock in at more than 1.7 and 1.4 million Scoville units, which measures peppers' potency.
Thousands of people have filmed themselves taking the challenge and posting their agony to social media.
The chip comes in a casket-shaped box, and the Paqui website features images of the Grim Reaper in a tongue-in-cheek marketing campaign. However, a warning on the page states it is for adults only.
Worcester school leaders said they will offer grief counselors to students at Doherty Middle School following Harris' death.
Superintendent Rachel Monárrez called Harris “a rising star" in a statement over the weekend.
"As a mother and educator, I cannot imagine how hard this is on his family, friends, and teachers. My heart goes out to all who knew and loved him," she wrote.
Harris' family has not released information on his funeral.
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