BELLMAWR, N.J. (1010 WINS) -- A pair of New Jersey gym owners say they have racked up more than $1.2 million in fines for refusing to adhere to the state’s COVID-19-related restrictions.
The co-owner of Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, Ian Smith, told Fox News Gov. Phil Murphy “has thrown everything he possibly could to shut us down.”
“He has arrested my partner and I, given us over 60 citations, some of them criminal. He fines us $15,497.76 per day for every day we’re open,” Smith said in an interview. “Our fines are totaling over $1.2 million, but every single day, Frank and I open our gym.”
New Jersey allowed gyms to reopen, with restrictions and capacity limits, on Sept. 1. Atilis, however, defied the state’s shutdown orders by opening its doors at the end of May, prompting a legal battle between the state and the fitness center.
In the interview, Smith claimed none of the state’s COVID-19 cases have been linked to his gym.
The gym has told its members they can wear masks when they work out, but does not require them to do so, as the state’s rules mandate, he noted.