Teen died from eating a spicy chip as part of social media challenge, autopsy report concludes

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.” Capsaicin is a chili pepper extract. The Associated Press obtained the autopsy results late Wednesday. The Worcester teen, a 10th grader, died on Sept. 1, 2023, after eating the chip. He was found unresponsive by police who were called to his home, and brought to a hospital, where he died. The cause of death was listed as cardiopulmonary arrest “in the setting of recent ingestion of food substance with high capsaicin concentration.” The report also noted that the teen had an enlarged heart and a congenital heart defect.