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University of Alabama student suffers ‘severe head injury’ while on family vacation in Caribbean

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University of Alabama student suffers ‘severe head injury’ while on family vacation in Caribbean

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A University of Alabama student reportedly suffered multiple skull fractures and other injuries after he fell while on vacation with his family in the Caribbean. 

A GoFundMe page set up for Matthew Polaski and his family reads, “What should have been a joyful time together quickly became every parent’s worst nightmare.” 

“Mike, Steph, Matthew, and Evan were on a family vacation in the Dominican Republic during the holidays while Matthew was home on winter break from his freshman year at the University of Alabama,” the GoFundMe page added.  

“On December 28th, Matthew suffered a severe head injury after a fall. He was rushed to a local hospital where doctors performed emergency surgery to relieve swelling on his brain and save his life. He remains in critical care and was placed in a medically induced coma,” it continued. “Once stabilized, Matthew was transported by international medical flight to Miami, where his treatment continues.”

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Matthew Polaski, left, is recovering after suffering a fall while on a family vacation to the Dominican Republic, a GoFundMe page said. (GoFundMe)

The circumstances of the fall were not immediately clear. 

“University staff have been in touch with the family to offer support, and our thoughts are with Matthew and his loved ones during this time,” the University of Alabama told Fox News Digital in a statement.

The GoFundMe describes Polaski as a “hardworking, respectful young man with a deep passion for gymnastics.” 

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“He recently began his college journey at Alabama, joined Sigma Pi fraternity, and has his whole future ahead of him. Mike and Steph have always been unwavering in their support — traveling to countless meets, tournaments, and college visits to help Matthew pursue his dreams,” it added.

AMERICAN TOURIST ATTACKED BY SHARK IN VACATION HOT SPOT

Matthew Polaski was vacationing with his family in the Dominican Republic when he suffered the fall, the GoFundMe page said. (iStock)

An update posted Wednesday on the GoFundMe page described how Matthew Polaski suffered “skull fractures, fractured pelvis and lower back vertebrate fractures.” 

“They reduced sedation and checked motor responses, both arms and legs responded on chest stimulation, another good early sign. Much is still being determined with mostly with the head injury for unknowns,” the update added. “Probably the most emotional update as a parent, Matthew started motion on his own, opened his mouth, and squeezed Steph’s hand in responses. I can’t imagine how many tears Steph had in that moment.” 

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The Robbinsville Police Department in New Jersey said Matthew’s father used to be its chief.

The GoFundMe page said Matthew Polaski’s medical bills in the Dominican Republic have reached nearly $75,000. 

Polaski is a first-year student at the University of Alabama, according to the GoFundMe page. (Getty Images)

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“International medical transport costs alone are estimated between $35,000 and $55,000. Unfortunately, insurance provides very limited coverage for international medical care, and even with insurance, medical expenses in the U.S. add up quickly. This is only the beginning,” it said. 

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Smiling anti-ICE agitator accused of punching Florida trooper as DeSantis asserts, ‘This is not Minneapolis’

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Smiling anti-ICE agitator accused of punching Florida trooper as DeSantis asserts, ‘This is not Minneapolis’

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An anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agitator in Florida was arrested after allegedly punching a trooper in the face during an immigration enforcement operation. 

“This is Jennifer Cruz of Jacksonville,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier wrote in an X post, sharing an image of the woman, who appeared to smile as law enforcement restrained her. 

Moments before she cracked a grin, video shows Cruz kicking toward a female officer while other law enforcement members had already placed her hands behind her back.

“Jennifer disagrees with immigration enforcement and decided to commit a few felonies by getting out of her car and punching a Trooper in the face. But unlike Minnesota, we don’t put up with this nonsense. Not today, Jennifer,” Uthmeier wrote.

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Authorities were seen restraining Jennifer Cruz, who allegedly punched a Florida trooper during an immigration enforcement operation. (@AGJamesUthmeier on X)

Footage shows a chaotic scene as authorities attempted to detain Cruz. As several officers placed her hands behind her back and walked her toward one of their vehicles, Cruz is seen attempting to kick another female officer nearby. Cruz then smirks as the officers detaining her place her on the hood of a vehicle. Once placed in the back of the vehicle, she is seen flailing her legs and continuing to shout at officers until the doors are shut.

A News4JAX reporter spoke to Juan Alvarez, the owner of the Mi Pueblo grocery store which was near where the incident occurred. He said he witnessed a traffic stop involving a state trooper. 

“ICE agents showed up with the state trooper. They detained the driver,” he said. 

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“And so yeah, they had an operation going on. And after that, they had detained another person. But it seems they got into an altercation with that person. It turned violent,” he said, noting that more law enforcement showed up.

RON DESANTIS BACKS ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE FOR JACKSONVILLE OFFICIAL WHO WARNED PUBLIC OF ICE PRESENCE

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shared Uthmeier’s post and wrote, “Really bad decision to attack one of our troopers. This isn’t Minneapolis…” 

DeSantis also mentioned the incident at an unrelated press conference on Thursday. 

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“I do know that there was a woman who came out and assaulted one of our troopers,” DeSantis said. “Let me just tell you guys this is not Minneapolis. That is not going to end well for you in Florida.”

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., quipped in a post, “Never go full Jennifer.”

WATCH: ICE TAKES DOWN ILLEGAL ALIEN WHO ALLEGEDLY RAMMED LAW ENFORCEMENT VEHICLES, NEARLY RUNNING OVER OFFICER

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier speaks at the National Conservative Convention in Washington D.C., Sept. 3, 2025. (Domonic Gwinn/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

 

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“This is how it’s done. In Florida, we respect law enforcement and have no patience for far-left extremists who choose to defend dangerous criminals instead of their fellow Americans. This isn’t Minneapolis. In Florida, if you break the law, you will pay the consequences,” Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., asserted on X.

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DeSantis addresses Jacksonville official who warned public of ICE presence, says Florida respects rule of law

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DeSantis addresses Jacksonville official who warned public of ICE presence, says Florida respects rule of law

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Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., defended Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Thursday after a Jacksonville official was placed on administrative leave for warning people about their presence in the city. 

The City of Jacksonville’s Hispanic Outreach Coordinator, Yanira “Yaya” Cardona, was placed on administrative leave, after she said on an Instagram livestream Wednesday that ICE was placing “speed traps” around the city and named specific roads to watch out for.

When Fox News Digital reached DeSantis’ office for comment, it referred to a press conference the governor held on Thursday, where he vowed to uphold the rule of law.

The City of Jacksonville’s Hispanic Outreach Coordinator, Yanira “Yaya” Cardona, who was appointed by Mayor Donna Deegan, right, was placed on administrative leave. (Bob Self/Florida Times-Union/USA Today Network)

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“I know you had that one woman in the city of Jacksonville government putting out information. Look, that’s not the way we roll here in the state of Florida. You know, we’re going to respect law enforcement, respect the rule of law,” DeSantis said Thursday.

DeSantis added that Jennifer Cruz, a woman accused of assaulting ICE agents while on duty, would face “consequences.”

“I do know there was a woman who came out and assaulted one of our troopers. Let me just tell you guys, this is not Minneapolis. That is not going to end well for you in Florida,” he said.

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Cardona added that “ICE is out and about” and is targeting lawn care and A/C companies while checking for paperwork.

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She said that “unfortunately, this isn’t the time to fight” and advised her viewers to comply if addressed by authorities.

“The best advice that I could give you guys is if you don’t need to go out, stay home,” Cardona said. “Just comply, have a plan in place, and rely on the universe ’cause we’re here.”

ICE officer uniform. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

In the same Instagram post, Cardona wrote additional guidance on how to handle increased immigration enforcement.

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“We are living in very difficult times but my best advice is 1. Have a plan in place with your lawyers 2. Give someone you trust legal power for your business and your children 3. If you get pulled over, please pay attention and follow the instructions/orders.”

The City of Jacksonville told Fox News Digital that the “general locations shared in her video were common knowledge from community sightings already reported on news stories and social media.” City officials also referred to comments made by Deegan at a press conference discussing the matter on Thursday night.

“We are a city of immigrants. We probably have more immigrants than most cities in the country. And a lot of them are frightened right now. They’re having a very difficult time. They’re seeing what’s happening around the country. They’ve seen American citizens sometimes being detained and arrested. They are seeing some violence. They’re worried. They’re scared,” Deegan said.

Deegan explained further that Cardona being placed on administrative leave had nothing to do with the “content of what came out of her mouth.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. (AP/Rebecca Blackwell)

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“I don’t have any problem. We checked with the general counsel’s office. Nothing that she shared said anything about anyone who was here illegally. It was simply giving the community information that was freely available and also giving information about their legal rights,” Deegan said. She continued, “Get representation. Make sure you have a plan. She said a dozen times, if you are stopped, comply. So, it wasn’t the content of what she said that I took issue with. The reason that she was put on administrative leave is because we have a policy in this city.”

“We’ve got a mayor who is the spokesperson for the city, and we have people who follow the policy that if you are going to create any sort of social media content, if you are going to make any sort of commentary, especially in this office, that would be construed as coming from the mayor—That has to come through me or through our communications office. Period.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Cardona for comment.

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Florida GOP candidate wants 50% ‘sin tax’ on OnlyFans creators to fight ‘cultural degeneracy’

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Florida GOP candidate wants 50% ‘sin tax’ on OnlyFans creators to fight ‘cultural degeneracy’

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A Republican candidate for governor in Florida recently proposed a hefty “sin tax” on OnlyFans content creators if he is elected.

“Young women once aspired to be devoted mothers, doctors, lawyers, and nurses,” James Fishback told Fox News Digital in a statement on Friday.

Fishback continued, “Today, young women are told by an online platform called OnlyFans that it’s morally right to sell nude photos of themselves to strangers on the internet. I will not tolerate this cultural degeneracy as Florida’s next Republican Governor.”

He has estimated the income tax would raise around $200 million, according to FOX 35, which he said would be put into the state’s education system.

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James Fishback said he would be open to a possible tax on OnlyFans customers as well. (Fishback2026.com)

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The money would also go toward crisis pregnancy centers and to fund the “first-of-its-kind mental health czar for men in particular because men have been told for far too long that they are guilty of masculinity,” he told podcaster Joel Webbon this week. “That they are guilty for all of society’s ills. I’m not going to stand for that slanderous lie.”

He told Webbon: “As Florida’s governor, I don’t want young women who could otherwise be mothers raising families, rearing children, I don’t want them to be selling their bodies to sick men online. And I don’t want young, impressionable men who have strayed from Christ, who have strayed from our lord and savior to be told and drawn in to lust.”

Fishback told FOX 35 he would be open to a possible tax on OnlyFans customers as well.

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OnlyFans content creator Sophie Rain told People magazine she thought the proposal was the “dumbest thing” she had ever heard.

“No one ever forced me to start an OnlyFans, it was MY decision, so I don’t need a 31-year-old man telling me I can’t sell my body online,” she explained to the magazine. “I am a Christian, God knows what I am doing, and I know he is happy with me, that’s the only validation I need.”

Piper Fawn, another OnlyFans creator, told FOX 35 she felt Fishback was trying to push his religious beliefs with the proposal.

Sophie Rain, center, with content creators Aishah Sofey and Alina Rose.  (Wilbert Roberts/Getty Images for Main Character)

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“He’s saying, you know, it’s a sin, it’s wrong, that’s true, that’s fair,” she told the station. “But sin is a biblical term, it’s not a legal term. If he’s really trying to make the state a safer spot or making changes for the better, I feel like there are other things that can be worked on and putting our attention towards versus taxing creators.”

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Fox News Digital has reached out to OnlyFans for comment.

“If you are a man or woman selling your body on the internet, you can either have two options: The first of which, you can pay the state of Florida 50% so we can raise teacher pay, or you can quit doing that and do something morally rigorous,” Fishback added to FOX 35.

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