New work colleague hard to get on with?

[Steven1]

I have been at my current job a little under a year now, and it's a great place. We all click together, are all good friends and always help each other out, both at work and outside of it.

 

Recently this new person started, he is 55 (I'm 24) and he is working with us through an agency for now (3 month probation period before deciding if he stays or not, which he probably will). He is a good worker but he seems to have something against me for no apparent reason. When he first started with us I was on holiday for the week, so my other friend in our department showed him around and showed him his duties etc and watched him for the week, then I came back i asked how he was in general and it was generally good feedback, good worker, alright to get a long with etc.

 

First day he was fine, second day I needed a hand taking over 30 boxes of spare parts up 3 flights of stairs, through several doors, so two people is a lot easier, I asked if he was free for a few minutes to help, he said yes, I told him what it was and he just rolled his eyes and said "can you not do it yourself" my other work colleague just glared at him (this colleague then helped me in the end).

 

Then on Friday just gone, he had cleaned the workshop floor with our cleaning machine, I had brought the Forklift in which currently has an oil leak, so it trailed some oil on the floor, but a job needed to be done inside with the Forklift, and he just flipped, my other friend thought he was joking to start, but he was in disbelief, I just had to walk away to not react as I wanted to. My other friend put a complaint in about him to our warehouse manager, who then seen me privately and seen the new guy, the new guy then went back to my friend and asked why I wasn't talking to him etc, but never came to me personally about it. During the argument he just ranted at me, talked down at me etc, and then made a comment behind my back as I was walking away.

 

I'll see him tomorrow, but nobody has ever talked to me like that anywhere I have worked, and everyone has changed their opinion on the new guy ever since this incident, if he apologizes I don't really want to accept it as in my mind he was completely out of order for his reaction and what he said and it's still built up in me to say something back, since I took the initiative and walked away to avoid an argument during work hours. This is also the 3rd time now that he has had a general pop at me without any reason for it.

 

Any advice on how to handle this?