New Jersey gym reopens in defiance of coronavirus lockdown
Ian Smith, owner of Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, receives summons for defying New Jersey governor's orders.
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A New Jersey gym owner who reopened his business Monday in defiance of Gov. Phil Murphy's stay-at-home order told "Tucker Carlson Tonight" he is "ready for the consequences" and vowed to remain open for the rest of the week after receiving a summons for violating the state lockdown.
Smith and Frank Trumbetti, the co-owners of Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, kept their word Monday after Smith vowed last week to reopen the workout facility with social distancing measures in place. Their plans drew a crowd of supporters who gathered outside the gym protesting Murphy's stay-at-home mandates.
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When local police arrived on the scene, Smith was told he was in violation of the state order, but an officer then told the assembly to "have a nice day," allowing the gym to open as planned. Officers later returned to the scene and served Smith and Trumbetti with a disorderly conduct summons.
"I assume that they came back because they received an order from higher up," Smith said. "Moments earlier, probably a half-an-hour earlier, we had that beautiful exchange with the officers that had been present all day and whom we've had nothing but great exchanges with. It has been love and positive all day. With the exception of handing over a summons," Smith added, "it remained that way."
Smith thanked the officers for helping "maintain order," but questioned the "heavy police presence" in the first place.
"I'm sure that their job could have been done better elsewhere," he said. "I'm sure there were other calls that needed to be handled, you know. For the most part, we were self-reliant and responsible and peaceful."
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Smith, who said he has received a "tremendous amount of support and outreach from people all over the country," added that he fully intends on reopening Tuesday.
"People seemed really energized by this idea that it's OK to stand up for what you believe in," he said. "And that we can get back to being a prosperous nation [while] at the same time, being safe and upholding the ideas of public health and public safety. And I think that we proved that today."
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As for the summons itself, Smith told host Tucker Carlson, ""My attorney didn't seem to ruffled up by it, and neither are Frank and I."
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