Feds Plan To Deport 'Maple Leaf Menace' Who Slapped Teen On NJ Boardwalk

POINT PLEASANT BEACH, NJ — The Department of Homeland Security is seeking to deport a Canadian woman who was seen on video slapping a teenage girl on the Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk over the July 4th weekend.

Kaitlyn E. Tracey, 33, of Asbury Park, is being held at Delaney Hall in Newark after agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement picked her up from the Ocean County Jail on Monday, federal authorities confirmed.

Tracey was arrested by Point Pleasant Beach police on Monday in the incident that happened July 3.

A probable cause affidavit filed by Point Pleasant Beach police said the teenage girl and three of her friends were walking down the boardwalk when Tracey began berating them about the clothing they were wearing, "specifically two of her friends wearing patriotic colored sweatpants with the words "Trump" and "ICE" displayed on them."

Tracey approached the girl and her friends and continued to yell at them "and harass them," according to the affidavit, escalating to her slapping the victim, police said.

The affidavit said the Point Pleasant Beach police officer also viewed the incident on surveillance camera footage.

Police followed Tracey and tried to stop her but she refused to stop, the affidavit said.

Authorities were able to confirm her identity three days later with the help of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Intelligence team using the passport information Tracey provided when she came into the U.S. in 2024, the affidavit said.

A cellphone video clip published on X by the Department of Homeland Security shows the slap and Tracey then walking away:

Federal officials mocked Tracey.

DHS called her the "Maple Leaf Menace:" "MAPLE LEAF MENACE. This illegal alien who assaulted a teenager has no business being in our country," DHS officials wrote in post at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday with the video. "She is now in @ICEgov custody pending REMOVAL from our nation."

A follow-up by ICE said, "Kaitlyn, it's time to go, eh?" with a maple leaf emoji.

Tracey has been been charged with simple assault, endangering the welfare of a child, harassment and obstruction, police said.

An ICE spokesperson said the agency picked her up on Monday afternoon.

"On July 13, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Newark personnel took custody of Kaitlyn Tracey, an illegal alien from Canada with pending criminal charges after a detainer was lodged against her with the Ocean County Jail in Toms River, New Jersey. Tracey overstayed her visa in violation of our nation’s laws.

"Tracey will receive full due process while in ICE custody pending removal proceedings."

DHS officials also issued a statement that said: "Kaitlyn Tracey is a criminal illegal alien from Canada who was charged with simple assault, neglect of a child, compounding crime, and harassing communication. According to local reports, she allegedly struck a teenage girl wearing pro-Trump memorabilia on a boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach during 4th of July weekend. She was arrested by the Point Pleasant Beach Police department who facilitated a controlled transfer into ICE custody, where she will remain pending her immigration proceedings."

"She entered the United States on April 14, 2024, on a visa set to expire on September 6, 2024. In violation of our nation’s laws, she overstayed her visa and failed to depart," the DHS statement said. "Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, ICE is targeting the worst of the worst. Nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S. Our message is clear: if you come into our country illegally and break our laws, we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you."

Matthew Geroni, Tracey's husband, had pleaded for help finding an immigration attorney to assist Tracey in a pair of TikTok videos. He has since made his account private and has not responded to a Patch request to speak with him.

Friends had created a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for an immigration attorney but that campaign has since been removed from GoFundMe.

Previous reporting:

Woman Slapped Teen Girl Wearing Political Pants, Point Pleasant Beach Police Say

Woman Who Slapped Girl On NJ Boardwalk In ICE Custody