Former N.Y. Congressman Is Paralyzed from Chest Down After Getting Thrown Off Horse During Polo Game: Report

Former New York Rep. Michael Grimm, who resigned amid scandal in 2015 and went on to become a host on Newsmax, is reportedly paralyzed following a horseback riding accident.

According to CBS News, Grimm, 54, was thrown from his horse in September during a polo match and left paralyzed from the chest down. After the accident, he was hospitalized at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., The New York Times reported.

He is currently being treated at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in New Jersey — the same place the late Christopher Reeve was taken care of following a similar accident in an equestrian competition in 1995.

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Grimm's Newsmax colleague, Greg Kelly, initially mentioned his injury on The Greg Kelly Show podcast on Sept. 23. "He’s a great horseman, he was actually playing polo. He was thrown from the horse and seriously damaged his neck." Kelly said, asking his listeners to say a prayer.

"If there is anybody that can show the strength and fortitude and will to ensure his full recovery, it’s Michael Grimm," said Vincent Ignizio, Grimm's friend and a former New York City Council member, per the New York Times. "He’s a tough Marine and a tough patriot, and we are all just praying."

A GoFundMe has been set up to help pay for medical expenses that include "treatment to walk again." "Our friend, former Marine, FBI Agent, and US Congressman Michael Grimm was paralyzed following a devastating accident when thrown from a horse in September 2024," the fundraiser reads.

"He has been in the most devastating of situations and through the grace of God and the amazing medical teams who have helped him, Mr. Grimm has miraculously thread the needle to survive. Yet, his ongoing care and the treatment to walk again will cost millions of dollars."

The GoFundMe, whose goal is $2.5 million, concludes: "For a man who has dedicated his life to helping others, we now humbly ask that you give generously to help him."

Grimm represented Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn for New York in the United States Congress from 2011 until 2015, per CBS.

In 2012, he was placed under federal investigation for his fundraising, which led to a 20-count indictment for mail fraud, wire fraud, health care fraud and perjury, all of which was related to a restaurant in Manhattan that he owned and managed.

Though he won re-election for Congress in 2014, Grimm subsequently pled guilty to one count of tax fraud in New York federal court and resigned in 2015.

The former congressman served eight months in prison and was released in 2016. He attempted a political comeback in 2018 but was ultimately unsuccessful after losing in the primary.