Horrified Tennessee couple say they got dozens of bed bug bites at Regal MOVIE THEATER while watching latest Guardians of the Galaxy movie
Shocked Tennessee couple say they suffered dozens of bedbug bites at Regal MOVIE THEATER while watching latest Guardians of the Galaxy movie
- Michal Steplowski and his wife woke up covered in bedbug bites the morning after visiting a Mount Juliet theater
- Steplowski said he found a bed bug egg sac under his chair
- Since then, the couple has spent more than $2,000 on medical bills and extermination
A Tennessee couple’s visit to their local Regal movie theater quickly turned into a medical nightmare.
Michael Steplowski and his wife visited the theater in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, to watch Guardians of the Galaxy in May 2023 and woke up the next morning covered in bedbug bites.
Steplowski woke up with 42 bed bug bites on his legs and his wife had 18 on her back. He said some of his bites became infected and he was forced to see a doctor.
Now the couple is speaking out about the terrifying ordeal that cost them more than $2,000.
“This was so traumatic that I don’t think we’ll ever go to the movies,” Steplowski said.
Michael Steplowski and his wife visited the theater in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, to watch Guardians of the Galaxy in May 2023 and woke up the next morning covered in bedbug bites
Steplowski woke up with 42 bed bug bites on his legs and his wife had 18 on her back. He said some of his bites became infected and he was forced to see a doctor
Steplowski said WSMV4: ‘I love movies, I love watching movies, only now it’s happening from the safety of my home I guess.
After the incident, Steplowski said he contacted the theater, but said they ignored his calls for three days. He was then forced to go to the theater himself and check the seats.
Upon inspection, he found a bed bug egg sac under the chair where he watched the movie.
“The manager on duty let me in,” he said. “We both walked back, we looked at the chairs we were sitting on and under the chair I was sitting on there was a bed bug egg sac.”
Steplowski took a photo and sent it to the exterminator cleaning his house, who confirmed it was an egg sac.
Steplowski also told the outlet that he texted the theater’s manager, who messaged him back saying they had closed the theater and that a pest control company was coming to clean it later that same week.
Since then, he has kept every document and said the couple spent more than $2,000 on medical bills and extermination.
“We’ve had some losses, I haven’t been able to work for a few days.”
“It cost a lot of money to get our house treated for bed bugs and we were referred to their insurance company to file a claim and we kind of got shut down,” Steplowski explained.
After the incident, Steplowski said he contacted the theater in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, but said they ignored his calls for three days. He was then forced to go to the theater himself and check the seats
“It cost a lot of money to get our house treated for bed bugs and we were referred to their insurance company to file a claim and we kind of got shut down,” Steplowski explained.
In a letter the couple received, Regal Cinemas’ insurance company said they were “not legally responsible for what happened” and denied the claim.
The couple have now come forward with their story and are still unsure of their next steps.
Regal Cinemas issued a statement after the incident that read: ‘The safety of our guests and staff is always of the utmost importance to us and as soon as we were notified, immediate steps were taken to investigate this allegation.
‘We have called in professional pest controllers several times and can report that no bed bugs have been reported.’
“We want all of our guests to feel confident that they are safe when attending a movie at our Mount Juliet Theater and in furtherance of that goal, we continue to engage professionals to conduct routine inspections of this facility.”