A Jenkinson's Aquarium gift shop employee who ordered a group of young, black girls on a camp trip to leave the store on Friday afternoon has been suspended, two days after an incident that the children's mentor called a case of racial profiling.

The adult female employee told the seven girls they needed to have a chaperone to be in the shop on the boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach. When they returned with one, the employee again instructed the girls to depart, apparently informing them they weren't welcome.

So. My girls went inside the gift shop @jenkinsonaquarium and we were racially profiled and discriminated against! The... Posted by Attiyya Barrett on Friday, August 10, 2018

Moments later the leader of the group, Attiyya Barrett, recorded her interaction with the shopkeeper after the girl's were denied entrance a second time. When questioned, the employee said she didn't believe the woman accompanying the girls was actually a chaperone.

"I didn't think she was a chaperone," the employee said before adding. "They're not welcome here."

Barrett wrote in Facebook that the girls were "racially profiled and discriminated against. "

On Sunday, Jenkinson's offered an apology and said the company, which runs several prominent businesses on the Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk, is investigating.

"Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated at Jenkinson's," the business said in an emailed statement. "We strive to provide all of our customers with an enjoyable experience and we clearly missed the mark this time. We sincerely apologize to the girls from the camp group for the way they felt upon leaving. We have been in contact with the group leader and will continue to work with her to make amends."

About 40 Paterson girls, whose ages range from 6 to 14 from, are part of Princess to Queenz, a summer camp and mentoring program. They were accompanied on the trip to Point Pleasant Beach with 10 adult chaperones.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.