A Canadian woman accused of assaulting a teenage girl during Fourth of July celebrations at the Jersey Shore is in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and faces deportation proceedings, federal officials said.
The Department of Homeland Security announced that Kaitlyn Tracey, 33, is being held pending removal from the United States following her arrest in connection with the alleged assault.
In a post on X, DHS referred to Tracey as the “Maple Leaf Menace” and shared surveillance footage that authorities say shows her striking a teenage girl on a Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk.
“This illegal alien who assaulted a teenager has no business being in our country,” the department wrote. “She is now in ICE custody pending removal from our nation.”
The incident occurred during Independence Day celebrations on July 4, according to authorities.
Investigators allege Tracey slapped the teenager twice before leaving the area. She was not arrested at the scene but later surrendered to police after investigators reviewed surveillance footage and obtained an arrest warrant.
Tracey has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child, simple assault, harassment and obstruction. Those charges remain pending.
After her arrest, she was transferred to the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in New Jersey, where deportation proceedings are expected to continue.
Her husband, Matthew Geroni, disputed authorities’ account of the incident and said Tracey acted only after being provoked by a group of teenagers.
Geroni told the Daily Mail that the teens were wearing clothing supporting President Donald Trump and Immigration and Customs Enforcement and alleged they confronted his wife before the physical altercation.
He also disputed police claims that Tracey fled the scene, saying officers initially allowed her to leave before investigators later sought her arrest after reviewing surveillance footage.
Geroni characterized the video reviewed by investigators as incomplete and said it failed to show the events leading up to the confrontation.
He also described conditions inside the Delaney Hall detention facility, saying Tracey told him she spent her first 24 hours sleeping on a metal bench in a brightly lit room.
According to Geroni, Tracey said she was upset by her detention but had positive interactions with other detainees.
Geroni said he has had only limited contact with his wife since she entered ICE custody, per the Daily Mail.
The couple has lived in Ocean Beach, New Jersey, and Geroni said he would relocate to Canada if his wife is deported.
Geroni has also criticized President Trump on social media and has posted comments attacking several Republican officials.
In interviews, he argued that political tensions have intensified in recent years and blamed national rhetoric for increasing hostility between people with differing political views.
Authorities have not publicly addressed Geroni’s claims that Tracey was provoked before the confrontation.
The criminal charges against Tracey remain allegations. She is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
