Former New York Rep. Michael Grimm was left “paralyzed from the chest down” after falling from a horse in a freak polo accident

Former Staten Island congressman Michael Grimm is paralyzed from the chest down after falling from a horse in a freak polo accident in September, friends told The Post on Sunday.

The 54-year-old Marine veteran is being treated at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in New Jersey – where the late “Superman” movie star Christopher Reeve recovered after he was paralyzed from the neck down after a fall from a horse.

Grimm’s injuries are so severe that friends have started a GoFundMe program to raise money for the extensive, years-long medical costs he will likely incur.

“I hate even saying it. Mike is paralyzed from the chest down,” said his pal Vincent Ignizio, a former Republican city councilman and current deputy executive director of the New York City Board of Elections.

Ignizio has visited Grimm frequently and discovered that he was transferred from a hospital to the rehabilitation center last week.

“He is currently immobile and is currently undergoing treatment to restore him to the level of function he is capable of. A lot of prayers are needed,” Ignizio told The Post.

Grimm was a dedicated, fit and hard-working military veteran – and he looked the part.

He could flash a smile to light up a room, but was also quick to anger – once threatening on live television to throw a NY1 reporter off the balcony at the U.S. Capitol after the journalist asked him about his legal troubles .

“Our friend, former Marine, FBI agent and U.S. Congressman Michael Grimm, was paralyzed after a devastating accident when he was thrown from a horse in September 2024,” reads the GoFundMe sponsored by the Michael Grimm Supplemental Needs Fund . “He has experienced the most devastating situations and by the grace of God, Mr Grimm has miraculously threaded the needle to survive.

“However, his ongoing care and treatment to walk again will cost millions of dollars. For a man who has dedicated his life to helping others, we now humbly ask you to donate generously to help him.”

As of Sunday afternoon, more than $36,000 had been raised.

Even former Brooklyn City Councilman Domenic Recchia, who lost while running for Congress against Grimm in 2014, donated $250 to his one-time political nemesis.

“This is not a Democratic or Republican issue. It’s a human problem. He’s human,” Recchia said.

“Michael Grimm gave his life for our country in the Bundeswehr. We have to unite.

“It was a tragic accident. Hopefully he can walk again one day.”

State Rep. Michael Tannousis, chairman of the Staten Island Republican Party, implored as many people as possible to come to Grimm’s aid.

“Congressman Grimm is a dedicated public servant who has served us on the battlefield and in the halls of Congress. We must come together as a community to help Michael in his time of need,” Tannousis said.

According to the GoFundMe page, Grimm was thrown from his horse on September 22nd during a polo tournament.

From 2010 to January 2015, he represented Staten Island and South Brooklyn in Congress.

He won re-election in 2014 despite being accused of tax evasion. But after being re-elected, he resigned and pleaded guilty to underreporting income from an Upper East Side restaurant he once co-owned and failing to properly pay employees.

Grimm spent seven months in prison.

He attempted a political comeback in 2018 but lost in a Republican primary to then-Republican Rep. Dan Donovan.

Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis now represents the 11th House District.