Pennsylvania Man Fined $100.00 for Jogging in National Park During Shutdown

A Pennsylvania man is upset he needs to speak to a lawyer after recently receiving a $100.00 fine for jogging in a closed National Park.

John Bell, 56, of Chadds Ford went jogging in a national historic park was fined because the area was closed due to Washington’s budget impasse.

Bell said he parked his car in Valley Forge National Historic Park, which wasn’t blocked by a barrier. He also said he saw other runners and bikers in the park and assumed a sign about the park’s closure was meant for vehicular traffic only.

When he finished his jog, he found two armed park rangers waiting for him.

Bell plans to fight his ticket in federal court as a matter of principle, not because of the money.

“I just think it’s wrong,” said Bell to Fox News.

“There was no warning at all, about anything. I asked them, ‘why are you guys doing this?’ Their answer was, ‘don’t you watch the news?’ In no way were they trying to be nice about this.”

The National Park Service says at least 20 people have been cited for being inside that park, so far.

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