Canadian Woman Faces Deportation After Alleged MAGA Boardwalk Slap

A Canadian woman living in New Jersey is facing deportation after authorities say she slapped a teenage girl who was wearing patriotic, MAGA-themed clothing during Fourth of July celebrations on the Jersey Shore. Kaitlyn Tracey, 33, allegedly recorded herself as she confronted the teen and her friends on the boardwalk, according to court documents cited by NJ.com. The group had been walking together when Tracey began criticizing them over “patriotic colored” sweatpants, investigators said. The pants were reportedly printed with the words “Trump” and “ICE,” prompting the confrontation. Tracey is accused of striking one girl across the face and body, though the victim was not injured and her age was redacted in court filings. Police said Tracey left the scene but was later identified during an investigation and arrested on Monday. She now faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child, simple assault, harassment and obstruction, and is expected to be deported to Canada. Her husband, Matthew Geroni, later posted a tearful TikTok video about her arrest, saying: “I need help… my wife is being detained by ICE.”

Geroni has also previously posted a video in which he wished cancer on every member of President Donald Trump’s family, including his youngest grandchildren, while dancing to George Michael’s “Faith.” Court records show Tracey entered the United States in 2024 using a passport and had been living with Geroni in Asbury Park, New Jersey. It remains unclear whether she was in the country on a spousal visa, a green card or another immigration status. In his emotional TikTok appeal, Geroni asked viewers for financial help, saying he urgently needed to hire an immigration attorney but could not afford one. “I don’t have any money, I am so [expletive] broke,” he said.

Geroni said he first created a GoFundMe campaign to help secure his wife’s release from Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention, but the fundraiser was removed after being reported. He claimed “MAGA people” were responsible for getting the page taken down. GoFundMe’s rules, however, prohibit fundraisers that seek money on behalf of someone accused of crimes. The Daily Mail has contacted GoFundMe for additional comment. According to Geroni, Tracey turned herself in to police after learning there was an active warrant for her arrest in connection with the alleged boardwalk assault.

Geroni said Tracey was first held at the Ocean County jail before being transferred to Delaney Hall, an ICE detention facility in New Jersey. In his public requests for support, he did not discuss the alleged attack on the teenage girl and at one point dismissed the details as “irrelevant.” “I don’t care what your opinions are of me or the situation,” he said in one video. “That’s kind of irrelevant, the only thing that matters is her safety.” Geroni’s social media accounts also include videos expressing hope for the death of Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, who was recently hospitalized. Court records show Tracey is scheduled to appear in court again on August 4.