He couldn’t breathe after putting a handful in his mouth.

While this case was an accident, doctors have seen it before.

“All these kids who do the cinnamon challenge, it can kill. They don’t think about how it can hurt them,” Radar said.\

The cinnamon challenge is something teens do where they eat a teaspoon of cinnamon with no water for a minute.

Experts say once the person gags, it gets into their lungs and can turn into a deadly asthma attack.

Featured

A TSA officer checks the identification of travelers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Oct. 01, 2025 (Ben Hendren for the AJC)

Credit: Ben Hendren