An Oregon woman said she was fired from her position as a senior banker after she helped a customer who was stranded at a gas station and needed money on Christmas Eve.
Oregon Live reports Emily James was working her shift at a Portland U.S. Bank call center where she assisted Marc Eugenio on Christmas Eve. James said Eugenio was strapped for cash after his $1,000 paycheck was on hold and couldn’t access his money. After receiving the required documents so a bank manager could lift the hold, he was told nobody could lift the hold because the only bank manager in Clackamas was on vacation.
RELATED STORIES: Tyler Perry Helps Out American Couple Stuck In Mexico With $14K Hospital Bill
Eugenio contacted the call center again to speak with James and told her he was unable to leave the gas station since he didn’t have any money to fill his tank. James rushed to the area during her lunch break to help Eugenio.
“I handed him $20 in cash, said ‘Merry Christmas’ and went right back to work,”
RELATED STORIES: McDonalds Workers Calls 911 After Woman Mouths “Help Me” At Drive-Thru
She was thanked for her kind deed and continued to work her shift. Her last day was on Monday, Dec. 30 when her regional manager fired her on New Years Day. The manager told James she had an “unauthorized interaction with a customer.”
“They were worried about my safety. He could have kidnapped me or shot me. But I wouldn’t have left or even tried to ask if that was OK if I thought that this person would hurt me”
Eugenio says it was unfair that James lost her job despite doing the right thing:
“I was a customer of U.S. Bank, I needed help, and she went above and beyond. I felt so bad. She was the only one helping me.”
Press play to learn more in the video below and share your thoughts with Yappa.