An 18-year-old tourist from India has died after a Central Park carriage horse bolted and threw him from the vehicle, in an incident triggered when the driver dismounted to take a photograph of his passengers — a practice strictly prohibited under industry rules.
Romanch Mahajan was one of four passengers in the horse-drawn carriage when it broke away from its driver near West 72nd Street shortly before 3pm on Wednesday. Dramatic footage shows the horse, a seven-year-old named Sampson, galloping through the park as passengers screamed in terror, before the carriage toppled over after colliding with another carriage near Tavern on the Green at West 67th Street. Mahajan was thrown to the ground, suffering a serious head injury. He was rushed to Weill-Cornell Medical Center in critical condition, where he later died. Three other passengers refused medical treatment.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos and distress. “The horse got scared and ran super fast,” 20-year-old Tatianna Bresler told the New York Post. “The immediate reaction was just like ‘oh my god, oh my god’ — I thought maybe someone had gotten smushed and then I called 911.” Pedicab driver Helen David, 48, told the New York Daily News she saw Mahajan lying motionless on the ground near Cherry Hill. “His father was over him. His mother was on the phone, held by her little boy. They were hysterical.”
Alexander Kemp, administrative vice president of the Transport Workers Union local chapter, which represents carriage industry employees, confirmed the driver had left the carriage to take a photograph — and was unambiguous about the rules. “A driver is not supposed to leave the carriage to take photos — ever,” he said. “We support a full investigation. We also support enhanced driving training, tougher examinations with a practical component demonstrating proficiency, and rules governing the introduction of new horses into the business.” Kemp added that the horse had been working in the park for only six weeks.
The death has intensified an already fierce debate about whether horse-drawn carriages should be permitted in Central Park at all. The tragedy comes just days after another carriage horse, named Deniz, collapsed and died while giving a ride after eating a poisonous plant — the latest in a series of incidents that critics say demonstrates the industry is unsafe for both animals and passengers. Last August, a horse named Lady died in Hell’s Kitchen, and in a separate case a horse named Ryder collapsed while working and later had to be put down.
PETA director Ashley Byrne said: “From collapsing horses to careening carriages, how many more disasters have to strike before we get these beleaguered horses out of the park? PETA is calling on council members to stop dithering and pass Ryder’s Law immediately.”
The Central Park Conservancy, which came out in support of a carriage ban last summer, said the back-to-back tragedies had made the case unanswerable. “A young man came to enjoy our park and lost his life. That is not an acceptable cost of an antiquated industry operating in the middle of one of the most heavily used public spaces in America,” the Conservancy said. “We hope today’s injuries are the last we ever see.”
Council Member Chris Marte has introduced legislation to ban carriages from the city by the end of next year, a bill named Ryder’s Law after the horse that was put down. City Council speaker Julie Menin said on Wednesday night the Council would take up the bill next month. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has previously said he believes carriage horses should be banned from the park, described Mahajan’s death as “a horrific incident” and said he looked forward to working with all parties “to deliver a just transition that protects workers while ending horse-drawn carriages in Central Park once and for all.” There are currently more than 100 carriage horses operating in Manhattan.
