The Atilis Gym in Bellmawr was plastered with notices from state and county declaring the business closed
YouTube KYW-TV video screenshot
The New Jersey gym that grabbed national headlines after defying Gov. Phil Murphy's lockdown order has been shut down by the state on Thursday morning.
The Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, New Jersey, was plastered with notices from the state and county declaring the business closed. Notice of Embargo papers from the Camden County Division of Environmental Health and the New Jersey Department of Health were placed on the gym's doors and windows overnight.
The gym owners were cited for the last three days for re-opening their business during the state's stay-at-home order.
Atilis Gym co-owner Frank Trumbetti told WTXF-TV that the sewer system in the facility "suddenly backed up" on Wednesday, forcing everyone to leave the gym. The gym owners called in an emergency plumbing service to fix the sewer system.
Trumbetti claims that a "whole bunch of paper towels were stuffed" in the toilets, despite the gym not having paper towels in the bathrooms.
A day later, the gym was closed by the health department despite no inspections by state or local officials, according to Trumbetti.
Trumbetti said the facility would be closed on Thursday, but the gym co-owners are talking with their lawyers and considering their options. Trumbetti added that the gym would hold some exercise courses outside on Thursday.
The Atilis Gym re-opened on Monday to cheers from the crowd that gathered outside, defying the Democratic governor's stay-at-home order.
Police arrived at the gym later on Monday, for what many in the crowd expected to shut down the gym. However, the police officer had a much different message.
"We are and we're only here for everybody's safety today," the officer told the crowd. "We planned for the worst, hoped for the best, and it seems like that's what we have out here today. Formally, you are all in violation of the executive order. On that note, have a good day. Everybody be safe."
However, one person was arrested and three others were stopped on Tuesday after leaving Atilis Gym.
On May 13, Trumbetti said that he and co-owner Ian Smith are "taking this virus seriously," but they also need "to fight for our rights."
"The government has failed at protecting our rights and [is] failing at protecting our health," Trumbetti said in a Facebook video. "We're proposing an organized peaceful re-opening of the state, not just our business. We truly believe that if we don't do this, in the end we will have zero rights and no say in what happens."
Smith appeared on Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight" and said, "Enough is enough."
"We've gotten to the point where I've watched so many businesses around me collapse," Smith told Tucker Carlson. I've watched people lose their jobs, and there's no progress moving forward. So we're ready to take action ourselves, and we have thought long and we thought hard about it. And all of our actions come from the heart, with not our best interests in mind, but what we feel is the greater good for ourselves, our community, and the state and nation at whole."
Glenn Beck interviewed Smith on Wednesday, where the gym owner said, "We're going to continue to fight." "We're standing up for what we believe to be a gross violation of our constitutional rights," Smith told Beck.
The Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, New Jersey, was plastered with notices from the state and county declaring the business closed. Notice of Embargo papers from the Camden County Division of Environmental Health and the New Jersey Department of Health were placed on the gym's doors and windows overnight.
The gym owners were cited for the last three days for re-opening their business during the state's stay-at-home order.
Atilis Gym co-owner Frank Trumbetti told WTXF-TV that the sewer system in the facility "suddenly backed up" on Wednesday, forcing everyone to leave the gym. The gym owners called in an emergency plumbing service to fix the sewer system.
Trumbetti claims that a "whole bunch of paper towels were stuffed" in the toilets, despite the gym not having paper towels in the bathrooms.
A day later, the gym was closed by the health department despite no inspections by state or local officials, according to Trumbetti.
Trumbetti said the facility would be closed on Thursday, but the gym co-owners are talking with their lawyers and considering their options. Trumbetti added that the gym would hold some exercise courses outside on Thursday.
Police arrived at the gym later on Monday, for what many in the crowd expected to shut down the gym. However, the police officer had a much different message.
"We are and we're only here for everybody's safety today," the officer told the crowd. "We planned for the worst, hoped for the best, and it seems like that's what we have out here today. Formally, you are all in violation of the executive order. On that note, have a good day. Everybody be safe."
On May 13, Trumbetti said that he and co-owner Ian Smith are "taking this virus seriously," but they also need "to fight for our rights."
"The government has failed at protecting our rights and [is] failing at protecting our health," Trumbetti said in a Facebook video. "We're proposing an organized peaceful re-opening of the state, not just our business. We truly believe that if we don't do this, in the end we will have zero rights and no say in what happens."
"We've gotten to the point where I've watched so many businesses around me collapse," Smith told Tucker Carlson. I've watched people lose their jobs, and there's no progress moving forward. So we're ready to take action ourselves, and we have thought long and we thought hard about it. And all of our actions come from the heart, with not our best interests in mind, but what we feel is the greater good for ourselves, our community, and the state and nation at whole."
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