Even though signs are posted throughout gym locker rooms about being safe with belongings and locking them to avoid theft, it doesn’t stop an individual from committing these heinous actions. Usually, having signs posted would take away all responsibility to businesses when such acts occur, but how far will a business go to help a victim of burglary? 

On Jan. 22, after having an intense leg workout at Planet Fitness, I returned to find my locker completely empty. My Lululemon fanny pack with all of my belongings was gone. My heart sank. I panicked; I had no clue what to do. I was alone at that moment. No keys, no cards, nothing. Right away, all I could ask was why me? Why now? 

Thanks to the lookout of a good samaritan, I retrieved my bag that had been shoved in a sanitary disposable box in the restroom. Feeling the relief of seeing my keys still in there, I quickly scanned my wallet to see the damage. Upon first glance, all three of my cards were gone including my ID. They could’ve stuck with just stealing money!

When I went to the workers asking if they saw anyone walk out with anything, it felt like I wasn’t being taken seriously, as if this was a usual situation. I know these workers aren’t Batman, but only receiving a “sorry this happened to you,” didn’t give me any hope on what to do next.

Having to go through the process of replacing four cards was a real hassle. On top of that, with my ID stolen, they can use my identity to impersonate me, opening accounts under my name or potentially leading them to find my social security number.

This was the first time something like this had ever happened to me, so being told to just write everything down left me feeling hopeless. There was no concern or a sense of urgency to want to help me find who did this when I could get my identity stolen, especially if they have the ability to. 

Many people use these lockers with no security. When I looked to see if my belongings had been moved elsewhere, I opened lockers with no locks to see that they were filled with bags that could be holding valuables. With my lock secured and it being missing, I felt as though I was a target.

However, I wasn’t the only victim. Two other ladies who also had a lock on their locker had the same unfortunate outcome. Multiple people being hit with this act made it look like they planned it out. They knew what they wanted to do and were able to get away easily despite being surrounded by cameras and having to check in, revealing a name, number and address. 

“I feel really anxious every time days pass by without any update or phone call from Planet Fitness,” said Lupita Delgado, one of the victims of stolen possessions. “We mobilized quickly and gave all the information to both Planet Fitness and the police, including pictures of the women. It would be great if they could tell us they have banned these women from the gym. Going to the gym is not the same, as I try to go to the locker room several times just to make sure no one else is getting robbed. I feel by not taking care of it, this will continue to happen.” 

When I got the location of where my cards were being used, I became a detective and sought out my own information about who these people were. I went to CVS on Fresno Street and provided them with the amount and time of these fraudulent purchases. Immediately, they provided me with pictures of the only people who spent a ridiculous amount of money at that exact time.

From having timestamps to locations and video surveillance, Planet Fitness and the police have the perfect amount of information to have a solid lead, yet no updates have been made in two weeks. 

I was the one who gave them a lot of evidence and the one who had to reach out to the police department first to even see if there were any updates, but all I got was the same information, that they were working with the gym.

So what is the delay in finding out who these senseless people are?

I shared the photos of the potential suspects on social media to spread awareness of what was going on, which curated quite a few shares. The next day, when going back to Planet Fitness to speak directly with the manager, I received a comment telling me to help protect their image by posting a comment letting people know that they are doing their best to find these people and get them banned, but it’s been nothing but crickets. 

Going back to Planet Fitness just feels out of place now. It’s as if nothing ever happened. As if my belongings were never stolen from me. Now, I don’t blame them; burglaries can happen anywhere at any time, but there’s a lack of urgency from Planet Fitness and the police to figure out who these people are. 

At least I know they couldn’t steal much money since there was nothing to begin with.