The complaint states Jose Antonio Chez was struck and killed on Aug. 26, 2025, when a vehicle crashed into the glass storefront of the Planet Fitness located at 647 Newark Ave. in Elizabeth, court records say. As previously reported by Daily Voice, Chez, then unidentified by police, was exercising near a front window when a vehicle driven by a 69-year-old woman struck the facility.
The lawsuit names Planet Fitness Inc., the property management company, the franchise owner, and other unidentified entities as defendants, alleging they were responsible for the design, maintenance, and safety of the parking lot and storefront, court records state. Daily Voice has reached out to Planet Fitness corporate for comment.
According to the complaint, the defendants failed to install protective safety barriers, including posts or bollards, that could have prevented vehicles from crashing into the storefront. The filing further alleges the defendants knew or should have known about the risk of vehicles crashing into storefronts and the frequency of such incidents nationwide, according to court records…