Canadian immigrant who slapped patriotic teen learns fate as judge orders deportation

TOMS RIVER, NEW JERSEY: A Canadian woman who admitted to assaulting a teenager wearing patriotic clothing on a New Jersey boardwalk has been ordered deported after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge.

The ruling, handed down Tuesday, August 4, comes more than a month after the July 3 confrontation at Point Pleasant Boardwalk, where the incident was captured on video and drew widespread attention.

Kaitlyn Tracey, 33, appeared by phone from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Texas as she entered her guilty plea in Ocean County court.

Kaitlyn Tracey pleads guilty after boardwalk confrontation

Tracey pleaded guilty to one count of simple assault as part of a plea agreement.

In addition to being ordered deported to Canada, she was sentenced to one day in jail but received credit for time already served after spending time in the Ocean County jail last month.

According to authorities, Tracey confronted a group of four teenagers on the Point Pleasant boardwalk, including a girl wearing a ‘USA 250’ tank top.

Police said an argument broke out before Tracey slapped the teenager across the face in an incident that was caught on camera.

At the time of her arrest, the Department of Homeland Security said Tracey had overstayed her visa and was living in the United States illegally.

Defense says Kaitlyn Tracey accepted responsibility

During Tuesday's hearing, defense attorney Francis Hodgson described Tracey as someone who had been a "productive member of society”.

"She arrived here on a passport some years ago. She met her husband and didn't leave, but while she was here, she maintained employment and was a productive member of society," Hodgson told Judge Guy P Ryan.

He also described the incident as "unfortunate", adding that “[Tracey has] taken responsibility for her role in it, and this is a reasonable judgment, Judge, that is consistent with other similar-type matters that happen every day during the summer on this boardwalk”, Hodgson said of the incident.

The prosecution told the court that the victim's family supported the plea agreement.

Although the teenager, identified only by the initials MH, did not speak during the hearing, one of her parents attended virtually.

Victim's family thanks those who documented the incident

Judge Ryan read portions of the family's victim impact statement in court.

According to the judge, the parents said, "Thank goodness for cameras and cell phones to have documented this incident".

Ryan also noted that the family comes from an immigrant background and is "proud of their country and celebrated its independence".

He added that the family believes the public attention surrounding the case reflects their love for the United States and their values.

The judge concluded by saying the victim and her parents "look forward to justice being served, and they thank all the agencies involved”.

Deportation expected after sentencing

Tracey had initially been charged with endangering the welfare of a child, simple assault, harassment and obstruction.

Following her arrest, she was transferred from the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in Newark to an ICE processing center in Laredo, Texas.

Judge Ryan said it was not yet clear when Tracey would be returned to Canada or whether she would ever be allowed back into the United States, though he remarked that her removal was expected to last "for a very long time".

Her husband, Matt Geroni, did not attend Tuesday's hearing.

According to the report, he had previously posted videos on TikTok asking followers to help secure his wife's release from ICE custody, “even if that means back to Canada”.

The report also noted that Geroni had previously posted messages expressing hostility toward President Donald Trump and his family.