Son Of Retired NJ Police Chief Critically Injured After Falling On Dominican Republic Vacation

ROBBINSVILLE, NJ — The son of retired Robbinsville Police Chief Mike Polaski was critically injured while the family was on a winter break vacation in the Dominican Republic, according to this GoFundMe started for the family.

Matthew Polaski, a college freshman, suffered a severe head injury after he fell Dec. 28 while the family was on vacation in the Caribbean island. The teen was there with his mother, father and younger brother.

He suffered multiple skull fractures, a fractured pelvis and lower back vertebrate fractures. The family did not release any additional information about how the boy fell, or what caused him to fall.

Doctors in the Dominican Republic performed emergency surgery to relieve swelling to his brain, and on Dec. 30, two days after he fell, he was transferred to a hospital in Miami, where he is currently. Polaski remains in critical condition in a medically-induced coma.

The fundraising page was started by family friend John Clark, and he posted what he said was a positive update on Dec. 31, and another positive update Sunday.

"They are still early in assessing but there are good signs," he wrote. "Doctors were worried with a skull fracture that traversed the carotid artery, (but) imaging shows no damage to the artery (if there was, there would be concern that portions of the brain could have been deprived of blood with damage resulting … such good news!)."

The teen boy is being weaned off sedation, and both his arms and legs are responding to stimulation, which is another good sign, said the family friend. Also, the teen started moving his mouth on his own and squeezing his mother's hand; she has been by his bedside continually since the fall.

"This will not be a quick journey but I think so many indications that it will be a good path to a great outcome," Clark wrote.

The teen boy is in his freshman year at the University of Alabama.

Clark said he started the page to help the family with rapidly growing medical expenses related to their son’s surgeries and ongoing care.

"We started this GoFundMe after learning that the hospital in the Dominican Republic has already billed nearly $75,000," the page's organizers wrote. "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. All funds will go directly to the Polaski family."

The Polaski family said they "would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the nurses, doctors and medical teams, both in Miami and the Dominican Republic, whose skill, compassion and tireless dedication have played a vital role in giving Matthew such a fighting chance."

Mike Polaski retired in 2025 as the Robbinsville Police Chief, after he held the job for the past 25 years. So far, the page raised $242,000 of its $250,000 goal.