Man’s Head Explodes at Hot Sauce Festival in Austin
By Editor | August 27, 2007
Reader Warning: This news story contains graphic imagery and witness descriptions of a full-scale cranial eruption. This story may not be suitable to some readers.
Austin, TX — On Sunday, August 26, the 17th Annual Hot Sauce Festival in Austin began much the same as it has for the last sixteen years. Thousands of Austinites flocked to Waterloo Park to enjoy hot sauce, cold beer and good music — a celebration of Austin’s culture and camaraderie.
But the otherwise enjoyable event took a dark turn when a man’s head exploded, apparently the result of a hot sauce-induced chemical reaction.
The incident took place at the booth of Loco Pepe’s restaurant, a first-time participant in the festival, who was showcasing their “Sangre del Diablo” hot sauce recipe. Shortly after sunset, a man in his forties approached Loco Pepe’s booth and ordered a sample of the “Sangre del Diablo” — or devil’s blood — hot sauce and a basket of tortilla chips.
Manning the booth at that time was Manuel Vargas, co-owner of Loco Pepe’s restaurant.
“We were about to break down the booth,” said Vargas, “because the event was pretty much over. Then this guy wearing a suit, of all things, comes up and asks for the hottest sauce we have … Sangre del Diablo.”
The man, whose name has not yet been released by Austin authorities, was described by other witnesses as a “nice enough guy” who seemed to be getting caught up on the many hot sauce samplings.
“He was going from booth to booth in a big hurry,” reported Shirley Jackson, a Pflugerville native who witnessed the incident. “I think he arrived late and wanted to sample anything that was left.”
So Vargas, feeling sympathetic, served the man a basket of chips and a small container of his Sangre del Diablo hot sauce.
“I gave him our usual warning,” said Vargas. “I told him this stuff is seriously hot, man. So you barely have to dip the chip in there. Just the tip, just for a second … just to see how it feels.”
Unfortunately, the man did not heed Vargas’s warning.
“Before I could stop him, the guy dumps half the cup of sauce onto a chip and shoves the whole thing into his mouth.”
Witnesses say the man starting to cough and grasp at his throat. One woman thought he was joking and began snapping photos with a digital camera, including the photo below. Then the unthinkable happened. The man’s eyes turned crimson, his skin began to blister, and his head erupted in what one witness described as a “pink mist of skull and brains and stuff.”
Image: People duck for cover as man’s head explodes.
Police and paramedics arrived within minutes, but it was too late. The mysterious man had lost more than three-fourths of his head to the hot sauce incident.
“I can’t get it out of my head,” said Vargas. “I still feel guilty.”
But the authorities have cleared Vargas of any wrongdoing, chalking the incident up as an unfortunate accident and citing the man’s willful disregard of Vargas’s warning.
Sound Off, Austin
Have you witnessed a full-scale cranial eruption as the result of hot sauce or a similar substance? Do you have any warnings for our readers regarding the careless consumption of hot sauce? We want to hear from you. Use the “Comments” box below to share your story.
Topics: Austin News |
August 28th, 2007 at 11:53 am
Wow, that is a very serious warning, thank you for sounding the alarm bells, I’ve had my head get very hot and for those of us who want to engage more than just the tip, we should all beware.
August 28th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
Dude! That gave me a serious headache!
December 22nd, 2007 at 1:10 pm
totally fake, the man who’s head is exploding does not have the same lighting as the rest of the people, who ever photoshopped this should’ve spent more time on the color balance, it actually looks alot like the movie Scanners.