An Amazon worker caused total chaos at a Staten Island warehouse early Friday, allegedly pulling a fire alarm -- despite there being no fire -- and spraying fire extinguishers on colleagues and throughout the building, according to people with direct knowledge of what happened.
Cops and firefighters were called to the sprawling Bloomfield complex on Gulf Avenue around 6 a.m. and a person of interest was taken into custody. Ten people were evaluated at the scene and two of them were taken to a hospital for further evaluation, SILive.com reported.
It's not clear how they were hurt, though there likely was mass confusion.
About 2,000 Amazon workers at the facility at the time were forced to leave, an NYPD spokesperson told SILive.com.
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All of the nightshift employees were sent home but will receive full pay, according to a person familiar with the case. The FDNY cleared the building to reopen later Friday but Amazon canceled the day shift for cleanup purposes. Those day-shift employees will receive full pay as well. It's not clear how heavily operations might be impacted in the area.
Also unclear: Why the employee allegedly pulled the fire alarm and sprayed colleagues -- and what potential charges that individual might face.
Steve Kelly, an Amazon spokesperson, said the company was thankful no one was seriously hurt and for the quick work of emergency responders. He deferred questions to the NYPD, citing the active nature of the investigation.
U.S. & World
Amazon facilities in the New York City borough made national news earlier this year. One voted in April to unionize, becoming the company's first U.S. warehouse to do so. A union vote at a second warehouse nearby failed in May.
