A video showing a Canadian woman allegedly beating a teenage girl on a New Jersey boardwalk has drawn national attention and led to criminal charges and immigration consequences. Kaitlyn Tracey, 33, is accused of assaulting a teenage girl during a Fourth of July celebration at the Jersey Shore, according to police and court records cited by The Daily Mail.
The incident was captured on video and later reviewed by investigators. Tracy was not arrested at the scene but turned herself in after authorities issued a warrant for her arrest. She is currently being held at the Delaney Hall immigration facility in New Jersey and may be deported to Canada as her case moves forward.
Caitlin Tracy charged after boardwalk incident
Video shared online appears to show Tracy confronting a teenage girl on the Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk. Police said Tracy hit the girl on the shoulder and then in the face. Authorities said the teen was not seriously injured.
After reviewing the monitoring lensInvestigators obtained a search warrant and Tracy later surrendered to police. She now faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child, simple assault, harassment and obstruction of justice.
Tracy’s husband, Matthew Geroni, disputed the police version of events in a commentary for the Daily Mail. He claimed the teenager involved had been “provoking” people and claimed his wife had been “pushed around” before the incident. Geroni also argued that investigators relied on a brief video clip that did not show the full encounter.
Police have not publicly backed the claims. Court documents cited in the report say the teen’s identity has been withheld because she is a minor.
Matthew Geroni details ICE detention charges
Geroni told daily mail His wife has been struggling since being transferred to Delaney Hall, migrant New Jersey Detention Facility. He said Tracey described being locked in a room for around 24 hours shortly after arriving and claimed she had to sleep on a metal bench with the lights on.
“She said the conditions there were terrible,” Geroni told the outlet. “She was obviously very upset.”
He also said many detainees at the facility speak Spanish, which has caused communication difficulties for his wife. Meanwhile, he said other detainees were “very good” to her.
Geroni insists Tracy was not the aggressor and accuses local police of misrepresenting what happened on the boardwalk. Meanwhile, authorities continue to pursue the criminal case. There are reports that Tracy may be deported to Canada as legal proceedings unfold.