STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Authorities have detailed the injuries sustained by eight employees who were allegedly intentionally sprayed with a fire extinguisher at an Amazon warehouse in Bloomfield on Friday.
Brooklyn resident Myles Leitner, 25, has been accused of a bizarre incident that began before 6 a.m., after an employee was injured and panicked, prompting a massive emergency response and 546 calls, according to multiple sources. Temporary closure of large facilities on Gulf Avenue was prompted.
According to multiple sources, even though there was no fire, Leitner took a fire extinguisher and began spraying cans in a reckless manner, causing panic and alarm throughout the building, impacting business operations and causing air pollution. made it difficult to breathe.
Authorities say a total of 10 employees have been killed in the alleged offense by the 25-year-old worker.
The criminal complaint alleges that Lightner “sprayed a fire extinguisher on the informant’s (eight colleagues) face and body, thereby increasing the risk of bodily injury, which the informant suffered, including burns and burns.” He suffered unrestricted physical injuries.” Skin irritation, burning nose, difficulty breathing, and making the informant feel uncomfortable, alarmed, and fearful of physical safety. ”
According to the complaint, the suspect stole a ninth colleague’s mobile phone and snatched an Apple Watch belonging to a tenth employee.
Police arrested Leitner in less than 30 minutes inside the warehouse.
Police claim to have found both the phone and watch when searching for Leitner in connection with his arrest, sources said.
A total of 10 people were evaluated at the scene, eight of whom refused medical attention and two who were taken to the University of Richmond Medical Center in West Brighton, an FDNY/EMS spokesman said Friday.
Leitner faces charges that include assault, criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment, petty theft, criminal possession of stolen property, illegal possession of a toxic substance, and harassment.
The suspect was scheduled to appear in criminal court on January 10 and was released under supervision, according to public records.
The NYPD and FDNY responded to Amazon’s warehouse complex on Gulf Avenue in Bloomfield on the morning of Friday, November 11, 2022. (Staten Island Advance / Jan Somma Hummel)
Amazon shuts down for the day
Amazon spokesman Steve Kelly said on Friday, “We are grateful that no one was seriously injured in today’s incident and that emergency responders are working quickly. This is an active investigation.” So I refer the question to the NYPD.”
All employees who worked the night shift through Friday morning were sent home after the incident and received their full pay, according to a person familiar with the matter.
FDNY allowed the building to reopen on Friday morning, but the day shift was canceled while the building was cleaned and all employees received full payment, company sources said.
In addition to arrests, the NYPD was used for crowd control. Police initially said about 2,000 employees had been evacuated.
During the emergency response, a large number of day shift workers were standing outside the facility, waiting for work before returning home.
One said that he and his colleagues had been paid during the emergency response and that they could wait outside. He was told that emergency responders and supervisors at the facility make sure employees are safe before entering.
