Andrew Cox Sr. says a Saturday morning workout with his son into a confrontation with police officers after employees at Crunch Fitness location in East Brunswick, New Jersey, location refused to accept the son’s digital student profile as identification and called the police.
The dispute began when gym staff requested identification for Cox’s son, who was entering as his guest. Cox told the Atlanta Black Star that employees suggested a school ID but rejected the student profile on his phone, saying they needed a physical card they could keep at the front desk while he exercised.
Crunch’s national FAQ says guests using a guest pass need a valid state ID and notes that guest and minimum-age rules can vary by location. The policy page does not say clubs must hold a guest’s physical card.
Cox said he asked to speak with a manager but was told the manager was helping another customer. He and his son then went onto the workout floor, expecting the manager to speak with them afterward.
Instead, Cox said the manager returned with police.
Videos embedded in the report show two officers speaking with the father and son. Cox then approaches the front desk and asks why police were called before he received the conversation with management that he requested. One officer raises an arm to prevent him from moving farther into the gym.
The manager then tells Cox that he caused the problem and asks him to leave. Cox acknowledged that he was visibly frustrated but said he did not make aggressive movements, curse or use threatening language.
The father said he and his son do not regularly visit that Crunch location. He believes race affected the decision to involve police and questioned whether staff would have responded the same way to a white customer who continued onto the gym floor while waiting for a manager.
