'Faulty Mace' Injures 4 Firefighters, 6 Residents At Jersey City Apartment Building

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Bear mace inside a Jersey City apartment building sent several firefighters and residents to the hospital Tuesday with respiratory issues and eye irritation, officials said.

Crews responded to the four-story building at 500 Bergen Avenue for reports of a strange smell at around 5 p.m., city officials said. Hazmat units were called in, and first responders got all tenants out of the building.

Officials said "faulty mace located inside the building" was the cause of the odor and irritation.

Residents were allowed back into the building once firefighters cleared the scene, city press secretary Kim Wallace-Scalcione said.

"The bear mace was found on the fourth floor," she told Patch. "How it was deployed is under investigation."

Officials did not say if the firefighters and residents were released from the hospital yet.