WORCESTER, MASS. (WHDH) - Nearly 100 people in Worcester gathered for a vigil Friday night honoring the memory of 14-year-old Harris Wolobah.
“We gather with a family of course that mourns with a very very heavy heart,” the pastor at the vigil said.
The teen died a week ago after those close to the family said he was dared to participate in an internet craze called “The One Chip Challenge.” He ate a spicy chip and got sick.
Police said he stopped breathing at his home hours later.
“I can’t make sense of it,” a family member said. “I don’t know that any of us can but what we can do is keep Harris’s spirit alive in our hearts and our actions.”
“A light as bright as Harris can never be truly extinguished,” she said.
The company behind the challenge has since pulled the produce from shelves. The results of Wolobah’s autopsy have not been made public.
“Let’s continue warning our youth about the troubling things that are out there. This could’ve been any of our children,” said someone close to Harrisat the vigil.
The community cried out Friday night while remembering a teen who loved basketball and was accepted into a traveling team the day he died. His life was cut short before learning of his own accomplishment.
“What he really loved about the game was the camaraderie,” a family member said. “He cherished being part of a team of something greater than himself.”
The crowd held candles that remained lit in the pouring rain.
The family has a GoFundMe page for those looking to support them.
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