18-year-old dead after falling from horse-drawn carriage in Central Park – National
An 18-year-old tourist died Wednesday after falling from a runaway horse carriage in Central Park, police said.
The man was riding in the horse-drawn carriage with three other passengers when the accident happened just before 3 p.m., the New York Police Department told Global News in a statement.
“Upon arrival, it was reported to officers that an 18-year-old male fell from a horse carriage. EMS transported the aided to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased,” police added.
There are no arrests, and the investigation remains ongoing, police said.
Video showed the horse sprinting through the park as two people appeared to jump from the four-wheeled carriage. A second video shows the cab toppling over after clipping the wheels of another carriage on the park’s busy loop.
A representative for the Transport Workers Union (TWU), which represents carriage industry employees, told The Associated Press that the driver had dismounted to take a photograph of his passengers, which they are not supposed to do.
In a statement to Global News, TWU Local 100 administrative VP Alexander Kemp said, “We are devastated that a passenger died after injuries suffered today in the accident in Central Park, and our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family.”
“Safety in the park has been a growing concern among many, and improvements are needed to be made with respect to all vehicles, including e-bicycles, delivery vehicles, pedicabs, and horse-drawn carriages,” Kemp added.
Kemp also said it’s his understanding that the carriage owner has suspended the driver indefinitely and the horse will be retired from the business.
A spokesperson for the Central Park Conservancy identified the victim as Romanch Mahajan.
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“We are absolutely devastated to learn that Romanch Mahajan, the 18-year-old visitor injured in today’s carriage incident, has died. On behalf of everyone at the Central Park Conservancy, our deepest condolences go out to his family and loved ones during this unimaginable time,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“This is the tragedy we feared when we first called last year for horse carriages to be banned from Central Park due to the risks they pose to public safety and public health. 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.
“We renew our call for New York City to pass Ryder’s Law, which would ban horse carriages and provide transitional job placement services for drivers. Every day horse carriages are in the park is a day the safety of New Yorkers and visitors is in jeopardy.”
Ryder’s Law, named after a horse that collapsed in New York during a carriage ride in August 2022, is a bill to wind down the horse-drawn cab industry by prohibiting the issuance of new licences used in the operation of horse-drawn cabs. The bill would require humane disposition of carriage horses, prohibiting their sale or transfer for the purposes of slaughter or use in another horse-drawn cab business.
The Mahajan family was on their first trip to New York from their home in India, according to the New York Times.
Mahajan’s father told the outlet that the horse bolted as the driver stepped away from the carriage to take a photo of his family and bumped onto the grass, “accelerating crazily” as the driver raced behind.
“We were yelling, ‘Help me, help me!’” Mahajan said, adding that his wife also fell out of the carriage and his son jumped down to try to help her.
“My son, just to save his mother, he fell off,” Mahajan said. “He was screaming, ‘Mom!’”
He said that his son hit his head on the ground after jumping out of the carriage and lay still.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the death a “horrific incident” in a statement to the New York Times on Wednesday night.
“I look forward to working with City Council, union partners, carriage drivers, animal welfare advocates and community leaders to deliver a just transition that protects workers while ending horse-drawn carriages in Central Park once and for all,” the mayor said.
New York city council Speaker Julie Menin and council member Lynn Schulman, chair of the committee on health, issued a joint statement after the incident, and one week after a horse died in Central Park.
“Today’s tragic death of a teenager following an incident involving a horse carriage in Central Park is horrific and heartbreaking. Our thoughts are with the victim’s loved ones and everyone affected by this devastating loss,” they said.
“It is now time to act. The Council recently introduced Ryder’s Law to address longstanding concerns surrounding the horse carriage industry, and we will hold a hearing on the bill in July. We look forward to hearing from all stakeholders and reviewing measures to address horse welfare and public safety concerns as we work toward a thoughtful solution to this urgent issue.”
The incident comes after a 16-year-old carriage horse named Deniz collapsed and died while pulling two passengers in Central Park earlier this month.
At the time of the death, police said the horse suffered a medical episode while pulling the carriage on June 9.
On Tuesday, the TWU Local 100 said a necropsy conducted by Cornell University found that the horse had ingested a toxic yew plant, a species known to be highly poisonous to animals and humans.
The TWU Local 100 is calling for a thorough review of potentially toxic plants in Central Park to help ensure the safety of animals and the public alike.
— with files from The Associated Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
