East Columbus gym thieves steal equipment and watermelon

UPDATE: Gym owner Terrence Flowers reports all of his gym equipment was returned after the story and images were shared on social media. The watermelon will be replaced.

The owner of an East Columbus gym says thieves stole his equipment and a home-grown watermelon Sunday night July 5, 2026. The incident at 4.0 Fitness on Buena Vista Road was caught on camera. The owner of the gym, Terrence Flowers shared a video of the theft on Facebook asking for the public’s help identifying the suspects.

The video shows the suspects hauling away a weight bench, weight rack and a dumbbell stand after illegally dumping furniture behind the business Sunday night at 8:30pm. They also stole the watermelon prompting hundreds of comments. Flowers said he had been growing “my blessed watermelon 2 months.” The surveillance video clearly shows a Ford Expedition and a license plate. The Columbus Police Department has been notified.

Friends of the business owner and gym members weighed in on the theft specifically the watermelon. One commentator posted “Not the watermelon!!!  Cancel the 6pm class, we riding. Team 4.0 let’s find this heffa tahday.”