Seats removed at New Bedford cinema after needles found

March 15, 2016 5:44 pm

By Ana Bottary

anabottary@yahoo.com

@anabottary

Virginia Eckert and her husband took a trip Tuesday to see a matinee at Flagship Cinemas in New Bedford where they were surprised to walk inside and see half of the seats in the theater gone. The theater’s regional manager tells a local radio station he took the plush leather chairs out after finding dirty hypodermic needles in between the seats.

"It’s dangerous for customers and it’s dangerous for other people and a lot of people use these movies. They’ve got Zootopia… children were sitting in those seats. It’s just a total lack of regard for anybody else," says Eckert.

Moviegoers that spoke to ABC6 were disappointed to hear that the theater had to take this step, saying it just goes to show how big of a problem the heroin epidemic has become.

"It is a sad reality in society when you have to do something like that, because someone has a drug problem. It’s horrible,” says Brian Sivar.

Flagship Regional Manager Bud Shepard told Fun 107 that staff found four dirty hypodermic needles over a 6-month period. One employee was even stuck with one while cleaning. Shepard says, in part,

"There’s no way to control this problem. There’s no way you can pat down customers for needles as they come in… We had to do what was right for the customers and employees…what would keep them safe."

Folks say this won’t stop them from coming to the movies, but it will make them think twice before sitting down.

"It’s going to make me check my seat now before I sit down," adds Sivar.