A woman who was fired from her job at a West Long Branch Taco Bell allegedly set off pepper spray in the restaurant, sickening customers and her former coworkers.

Eight employees and two customers were inside the Taco Bell Saturday afternoon when the woman allegedly dispersed the chemical into a back storage room while she was waiting for someone to come pick her up.

She had just been terminated for being late and calling out too many times after working there for “a few months,” store workers said.

The woman tore up her termination papers, ignored a manager’s request for her to wait in the lobby and then sprayed the pepper spray, a manager said.

“We were all coughing because of it,” said Jaila Padro, a manager at the Taco Bell said.

The fire department was called to the Route 36 restaurant.

“The smell went away after a little while and then everyone was ok,” Padro said.

The fired employee told her colleagues “she would be back later on tonight to trash our dining area,” Padro said.

Police responded to the scene but no charges were filed, a police source said. She was gone before officers arrived.

A West Long Branch Police spokesperson was not available to provide more information on the incident.

The night crew at the Taco Bell and West Long Branch Police will be on the lookout for her return, the store manager said.

Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter@AllisonPries. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us.nj.com/tips.

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