An 18-year-old tourist from India died in New York’s Central Park after the driver of a horse-drawn carriage stepped away to take a picture of the group, causing the horse to bolt and topple over.
The teenager, named by local media as Romanch Mahajan, was visiting the city for the first time with his family. He had been trying to save his mother, who was thrown from the carriage during the incident, according to the Daily Mail.
“Teen tourist Romanch Mahajan died after a carriage horse bolted when the driver left to take a photo.”
Police said the driver left the carriage to take a photo of the four passengers. The horse then bolted, clipped another carriage, and toppled over, as shown in footage. Mahajan was critically injured and taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The three other passengers did not require treatment.
“It appears the driver was at least at arm's length from his horse,” said Alexander Kemp, a vice president of the Transport Workers Union Local 100, in a statement. “This is unacceptable. A driver is not supposed to leave the carriage to take photos – ever. We support a full investigation.”
The accident comes just a week after a carriage horse named Deniz died in Central Park from eating a toxic plant, according to initial autopsy results. The incidents have renewed criticism of the long-controversial industry.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he supports removing the carriages from the park. City council member Shahana Hanif called the events “heartbreaking reminders that horse-drawn carriages are unsafe for both horses and people”, and urged passage of Ryder’s Law, a bill that would phase out the rides over two years by refusing to issue new licenses. “These incidents are not isolated,” Hanif wrote on X. “New York can and must do better.”
Fellow council member Harvey Epstein said he was “horrified” by the “tragic accident” and added: “Time and again, we are seeing both horses and people suffer the consequences of an industry that poses serious risks to public safety and animal welfare. New York City can't continue to ignore these tragedies.”