‘Many prayers are needed’

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 45-year-old Navy veteran is being treated at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in New Jersey, where the late “Superman” movie star Christopher Reeve also recovered after being paralyzed from the neck down in a fall from a horse.

Grimm’s injuries are so serious that friends have started a GoFundMe to raise money for the lengthy, long-term medical expenses he is expected to incur.

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

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

“He is currently immobilized and is currently undergoing treatment to get him to the function he can achieve. Many prayers are needed,” Ignizio told The Post.

Grimm was an intense, fit, hard-working military veteran – and good looking.

He could flash a smile to light up a room, but was also quick to anger — he once threatened on live television to throw an NY1 reporter off a balcony in 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 left paralyzed after a devastating accident when he was thrown from a horse in September 2024,” said the GoFundMe, sponsored by the Michael Grimm Supplemental Needs Fund. “He has been in the most devastating situations and by the grace of God, Mr. Grimm miraculously threaded the needle to survive.

“Yet his continued 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 that you give generously to help him.”

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

Even former Brooklyn councilman Domenic Recchia, who lost when he ran against Grimm in Congress in 2014, donated $250 to his former political nemesis.

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

“Michael Grimm gave his life for our country in the armed forces. We must unite.

“It was a tragic accident. Hopefully one day he will be able to walk again.”

State Assemblyman Michael Tannousis, chairman of the Staten Island Republican Party, called on 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 work together as one community to help Michael in his time of need,” Tannousis said.

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

He represented Staten Island and southern Brooklyn in Congress from 2010 to January 2015.

He was re-elected in 2014 while under indictment for tax evasion. But he resigned after his re-election and pleaded guilty to underreporting the revenues of an Upper East Side restaurant he once co-owned and paying staffers off the books.

Grimm served 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.