Crime & Safety
Worcester Family Sues Over Spicy Chip That Killed Harris Wolobah
Doherty High School student Harris Wolobah, 14, died in September after eating an ultra-spicy Paqui chip.
![A medical examiner says a Massachusetts teen who participated in a spicy tortilla chip challenge died from ingesting a substance “with a high capsaicin concentration,” according to autopsy results The Associated Press obtained.](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/ap/22906546/20240711/010050/styles/patch_image/public/ap24137526570723___11125202853.jpg)
WORCESTER, MA — The family of the Worcester teen who died last year after eating an ultra-spicy Paqui chip is suing the snack company, attorneys said Thursday.
Harris Wolobah's parents, Lois and Amos Wolobah, appeared with their attorneys at a news conference in Boston Thursday to announce the lawsuit, which follows an autopsy that found Wolobah died due to consuming a substance “with a high capsaicin concentration.”
Wolobah, a Doherty High School student, died Sept. 1 after purchasing the chip at a Worcester Walgreens. The pharmacy chain is also being sued. Wolobah's parent believe he was participating in a social media challenge involving Paqui products called the "One Chip Challenge."
Find out what's happening in Worcesterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"[Harris'] case is about every child exposed to social media today. They urge people to post videos eating a poisonous chip on TikTok and other social media platforms, which subjected our children to being brainwashed into thinking that eating a chip was somehow cool," attorney Douglas Shef said during Thursday's news conference.
Paqui, which is owned by the Hershey Company, responded by highlighting that it ended the one-chip challenge after the teen's death.
Find out what's happening in Worcesterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"Paqui's One Chip Challenge was intended for adults only, with clear and prominent labeling highlighting that the product was not for children," the company said in a statement.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.