At the time of his arrest, the owners were staying at the Bellmawr gym.
The two New Jersey gym owners were arrested Monday morning for continuing to operate their business in defiance of Governor Phil Murphy’s COVID-19 orders that the indoor training facilities remain closed.
Ian Smith, 33, and Frank Trumbetti, 51, owners of Atilis Gym in the town of Bellmawr, Camden County, were detained at their business, where they have been since last week, authorities said. They were arrested when they tried to open their doors again.
Smith, of Delanco Township, and Trumbetti, of Williamstown, were charged with contempt, obstruction, and fourth-degree violation of a disaster control law, according to Camden County Acting District Attorney Jill S. Mayer. Both were released with calls from disorderly people, Mayer said in a statement to ABC News.
After being released, Smith released a statement on Facebook that said: “Welcome to America 2020, where feeding your family and defending your constitutional rights is illegal.”
“Frank and I were taken and up to our private place of business,” Smith said, adding a video of him and Trumbetti handcuffed outside the gym. “This will be fun in court. If this doesn’t alarm you, you’re part of the problem. Please share and republish, let’s hold these idiots accountable for their power trip.”
The arrests came after New Jersey Superior Court Judge Robert T. Lougy issued a court order on Friday that Trumbetti and Smith vacate the gym and stop operating in defiance of Murphy’s executive orders aimed at mitigating the spread of the coronavirus.
But Mayer said the men allegedly defied Lougy’s order within hours of its issuance.
“From July 24 to 27, several people were observed entering and using the gym, a direct violation of the court order,” Mayer’s statement says.
Smith and Trumbetti were arrested and taken to the Bellmawr Police Department for processing when they rejected a request from the police to voluntarily leave the gym, according to Mayer.
Lougy’s order authorized the state health department to not only put locks on the gymnasium doors, but also to raise barriers over the entrance to ensure compliance with Governor Murphy’s order.
Following Lougy’s decision, Christopher Arzberger, an attorney for the gym owners, told reporters that Smith and Trumbetti were “disappointed that this contempt motion was granted.”
“However, we respect the judge’s decision and will take all necessary steps to see if there is an appeal problem here,” he said. “We understand our customers’ concerns. Small businesses have been under fire lately and we want to make sure that all small businesses have a chance to be heard.”
In a video posted to Facebook on Friday night, Smith said that he and Trumbetti planned to stay in the gym in defiance of the order.
“We will not back down under any circumstances,” Smith said as he wore a baseball cap that said “Lions, not sheep” and a T-shirt with the words “Make America Rise Again.”
He said Lougy’s disregard for the court order was based on the “extremely weak” case of the prosecution.
“It was based on circumstantial evidence and had nothing that tied us directly to a violation of Murphy’s executive orders,” said Smith. “However, it still happened because that is what Murphy wants and that is what Murphy gets.”
Since mid-May, Atilies Gym has become a meeting point for people against Murphy’s orders, which were issued in March. More than 200 people showed up to support the first attempt to reopen the gym on May 18, waving American flags and singing “United States! United States!” When the doors opened. At that time, police issued the first of several $ 2,000 citations for violating the rules.
Smith and Trumbetti said they had taken precautions before the opening by limiting the number of members allowed to train, implementing social distancing rules, and asking members to wear protective masks.
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