DEFIANCE

Defiant NJ Gym Owners Featured on ‘Fox & Friends’ Arrested for Refusing to Close

Atilis Gym reopened in May against state orders, and the owners have been battling the state to remain open.

The owners of a New Jersey gym were arrested Monday morning after a months-long standoff between the pair and the state. Ian Smith and Frank Trumbetti, who had become a cause célèbre on Fox & Friends for their defiance, reopened Atilis Gym in May in spite of of Gov. Phil Murphy’s lockdown orders. The two were held in contempt of court Friday after continuing to defy the guidelines, and had moved workouts back inside the gym. The owners even went so far as to remove the gym’s doors to prevent officials from locking them closed, and stated they would not leave; this morning, the entrance was boarded up after their arrests. “We will not leave this building under any circumstances unless they take us out in handcuffs,” Smith said in a video posted online Thursday. The pair were charged with obstruction, fourth-degree contempt, and violation of a Disaster Control Act.