High school student facing charges after hot sauce prank


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A Highland Park High School student is being charged as a juvenile after spiking a container of marinara sauce in the cafeteria lunch line with a fiery hot sauce that sent three people to the hospital, police said Wednesday. Now the school is installing a security camera in the cafeteria.

Three cafeteria workers were treated May 14 by the school nurse before being sent to a hospital with symptoms including coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and skin rashes, Township School District 113 spokeswoman Natalie Kaplan said. The employees were released the same day, and no one reported serious injuries.

The three cafeteria employees didn't have to eat the spiked sauce to develop the symptoms, according to Kaplan. That's because it was no ordinary hot sauce, said Highland Park police Deputy Chief George Pfutzenreuter.

"I don't think you can find this one in the store. It sounds like this kid had to get it someplace special," he said of the Da Bomb brand sauce.

"It was just being near it," Kaplan said. Two students also reported symptoms but did not require a trip to the hospital, she added.

The district had bought a security surveillance system a few months ago and was choosing locations for the cameras, Kaplan said.

"We decided, based upon that incident, that we'll go ahead and install cameras in the cafeteria where the incident occurred," Kaplan said.

The prankster was identified by the school and disciplined, but Kaplan declined to elaborate, citing privacy concerns.

Pfutzenreuter said the 17-year-old is expected to be referred to juvenile court this week on five counts of misdemeanor battery. The student told authorities it was meant as a prank, he added.

The Da Bomb website features videos of sweaty and doubled-over reactions to ingesting a spoonful of its various sauces, as well as this line: "They look and smell perfectly innocent. But when they explode on your taste buds, in your throat, and deep down in your stomach and bowels, you'll know you're in a war."

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Someone is being stupid. I've seen some hot sauce, but none that could break you out in a rash just by being near it. :D

even still come on ... dont mess with peoples food thats the important thing here... :( food needs to be respected

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even still come on ... dont mess with peoples food thats the important thing here... :( food needs to be respected

I thought everyone had pulled some kind of prank while in high school. I would be jailed for life today as bad as I was. I put hot sauce in the ketchup bottles and loosen the salt and pepper bottles and much, much more.

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I thought everyone had pulled some kind of prank while in high school. I would be jailed for life today as bad as I was. I put hot sauce in the ketchup bottles and loosen the salt and pepper bottles and much, much more.

I have worked in kitchens from the age of 11 ... food is my life.... I dont think I could ever defile someones food on purpose ;(

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I thought everyone had pulled some kind of prank while in high school. I would be jailed for life today as bad as I was. I put hot sauce in the ketchup bottles and loosen the salt and pepper bottles and much, much more.

No alcohol in the punch ?

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Several times. Almost got caught once.

We would have been best friends

One of the best pranks I did at school was went through the line with a brown paper bag.. when the lunch lady asked me if I needed a tray, I said I brought my own and pulled out a rubber snake.. Freaked them all out and one fainted lmao..

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A) I can understand why you would never mess with anyone's food

B) mmm hot sauce.

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I LOVE hot sauces, the hotter the better, but to sneak them in on someone not used to them is like using a chemical weapon. Kid needs his arse kicked up around his ears.

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Things are getting too spicy for the pepper! ehhhh, ehhhhhhhh.

We would have been best friends

One of the best pranks I did at school was went through the line with a brown paper bag.. when the lunch lady asked me if I needed a tray, I said I brought my own and pulled out a rubber snake.. Freaked them all out and one fainted lmao..

During home economics at highschool, like 15 years ago.... ( Yes , me and some friends took it due to it being a blow off class and filled with girlies ) we had to cook some food. We went with spaghetti and mushrooms. A friend had brought some magic mushrooms that we used... sadly, this is when we learned that cooking them totally kills any potency. And it tasted a little odd. Good times though.

We would also sing the Beastie Boys "Girls" song while we did our work in that class. I had/have a horrible voice for singing, so I just did the melody while the others did the lyrics. :p

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I thought everyone had pulled some kind of prank while in high school. I would be jailed for life today as bad as I was. I put hot sauce in the ketchup bottles and loosen the salt and pepper bottles and much, much more.

Hahah... flashback!

I put vigear in my brother's coke... he got mad... then he switched to 7up... he said "Now I can see vigear in it.. so I am able to tell what's in it"... I was like, "No problem" I put salt in it.. which he couldn't tell... so he drank it and spit it out.. hahahah.

Then we got older... we don't do that anymore... we used to talk about that from time to time ... we thought it was funny. I am laughing right now about what I did to him..

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In high school I did this exact same prank with the exact same Hot sauce mentioned. Albeit only to one particular kid. I was just forced to buy him a new lunch and was suspended for a few days.

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Pepper heat is measured in Scoville units.

Bell pepper: <50

Jalapeno: ~ 2,000 to 5,000

Cayenne: 30,000 to 50,000

Habanero: 100,000 to 350,000

Dave's Insanity Sauce: 500,000 to 700,000

Bhut Jolokia (Ghost Pepper): 850,000 to 1,000,000

Da Bomb Sauce: 1,500,000

Pure capsaicin: 16,000,000

Dosing someone with 1.5M Scoville pepper sauce is not a joke and in some cases could cause damage the mucosa lining the gut of someone not a regular pepper eater (you do adapt, but it takes time.) Even if it doesn't, the extreme discomfort would, in most jurisdictions, be considered an assault if administered covertly.

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