New Jersey Gym Racks Up $1.2 Mil in Fines and Still Refuses to Close

The second wave of COVID-19 has forced the re-closure of many things across the country. Most recently Pennsylvania announced that all gyms must close and indoor dining be put to a halt until January 4. Luckily, the state of New Jersey has not taken those drastic steps yet. Indoor dining and gym are allowed to remain open however with limited hours and capacity.

However, one gym in particular doesn't seem to care about Governor Phil Murphy's restriction one bit.  Ian Smith, co-owner of Atilis Gym in New Jersey is proudly staying open at full capacity, and is daring state officials to do something about it. Smith says that his gym has so far racked up over $1.2 million in fines. That's a lot of money to owe! And despite the growing amount of fines, the gym has no intentions of closing.

Smith and his gym has gone viral many times over the past few months for his defiance of any rules and regulations Murphy puts into place. This ongoing saga has made them famous, and they seem to be soaking it all up. And even though Murphy hasn't shut gyms all the wat down yet, Smith released a statement announcing what his stance will be if the time does come.

Smith's gym is packed on the daily and hardly anyone wears face masks. According to TMZ, the gym has $1.2 million in fines and the township continues to fine him around $15k a day every day he breaks the rules. It gets even worse. He and his employees have even been arrested before. None of that is stopping them.