NJ Gym Owner Gives Free Membership To Those Who Aren't Vaccinated

BELLMAWR, NJ — A New Jersey gym owner who has repeatedly defied Gov. Phil Murphy throughout the coronavirus pandemic is making headlines again. This time, his targets are vaccinations and Krispy Kreme.

“In light of Krispy Kreme giving free donuts for receiving the COVID shot, we are giving out free memberships to all who don’t get vaccinated,” Atilis Gym owner Ian Smith said on Twitter. “We believe in health - the real way - exercise, good diet, plenty of Vitamin D, Zinc, and an environment to de-stress.”

Smith and Frank Trumbetti, owners of the Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, repeatedly defied Murphy last year by repeatedly reopened their gym amid a statewide shutdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

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This defiance, along with their arrests and a lawsuit they filed against the state thrust them into the national spotlight. They ultimately joined the political arena, joining Rik Mehta’s failed Senate campaign and launching a petition in an effort to recall Murphy.

Smith even spoke at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), according to Fox News.

Their latest attempt has been met with both derision and support on Twitter, including some who brought up Smith’s arrest in a drunken driving accident that killed a Stockton student in 2007.

On Monday, Krispy Kreme said it is offering a free glazed donut to anyone who has received at least one dose of the Moderna, Pfizer, or Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The promotion kicked off on Monday.

As of Wednesday, 3,638,002 New Jersey residents have been vaccinated, and 1.3 million are fully vaccinated, meaning they have received either two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, according to the state Department of Health.