Tragic Accident in Central Park: Teen Loses Life as Horse Carriage Spirals Out of Control

A tragic incident unfolded on Wednesday in Central Park when a teenager was ejected from a runaway carriage, resulting in fatal injuries.

The 18-year-old, aboard the horse-drawn carriage with three others, faced this perilous situation shortly before 3 p.m., as reported by the New York Police Department.

In critical condition, the young man was swiftly transported to Weill-Cornell Medical Center following the accident. Meanwhile, the other passengers declined medical assistance at the scene.

Authorities have identified the victim as Romanch Mahajan, a visitor from India. He sustained a traumatic head injury after being hurled from the carriage and striking the pavement.

Footage captures the dramatic moment, with the carriage operator seen desperately chasing the runaway as Mahajan tumbles to the ground.

A representative for the Transport Workers Union, which represents carriage industry employees, said the horse had been in the park for only six weeks.

The driver had dismounted to take a photograph of his passengers, according to Alexander Kemp, the administrative vice president of the union’s local chapter.

‘A driver is not supposed to leave the carriage to take photos – ever,’ Kemp said. ‘We support a full investigation.

The horse and carriage with the family still inside was seen to be out of control as the driver chased it in sheer desperation 

‘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 explained. 

‘Thousands upon thousands of rides are taken without incident, but steps must be taken to prevent accidents like this.’ 

Video showed the horse galloping 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.

Eyewitnesses said passengers in the back were screaming with terror as the horse shot off on its own, pulling the carriage along with it.  

‘The horse got scared and ran super fast,’ Tatianna Bresler, 20, told The New York Post.

‘The immediate reaction was just like ‘oh my god, oh my god my god’ like covering my eyes because I thought maybe someone had gotten smushed or something I couldn’t even imagine, and then I called 911,’ the woman said.

The horse broke away from its driver near West 72nd Street. Video then sees the runaway horse and carriage toppling over close to Tavern on the Green at West 67th Street, after colliding with another carriage.

‘I saw the teenager on the ground by Cherry Hill. He was motionless,’ said 48-year-old pedicab driver Helen David to the New York Daily News.

‘His father was over him. His mother was on the phone, held by her little boy. They were hysterical.’

An 18-year-old passenger died after a horse-drawn carriage overturned in New York City’s Central Park on Wednesday afternoon. The carriage is pictured moments before it overturned

The carriage overturned after its wheels clipped another horse-drawn carriage on the park’s main loop road

The carriage clipped the wheel of another carriage and toppled over onto its side 

The horse, a seven-year-old named Sampson, appeared to be uninjured following the incident. 

It’s a fraught moment for Central Park’s 150-year-old horse-drawn carriage industry, which is facing the growing threat of a ban from opponents who say the rides are both inhumane to horses and a danger to city residents.

PETA Director Ashley Byrne released a statement in response to Wednesday’s incident.

‘From collapsing horses to careening carriages, how many more disasters have to strike before we get these beleaguered horses out of the park? For everyone’s safety, PETA is calling on council members, Health Committee Chair Lynn Schulman, and Speaker Julie Menin to stop dithering and pass Ryder’s Law immediately.’ 

Wednesday’s event follows several recent horse-related problems in the park, including the fatal collapse of a horse last week, which died after eating a toxic plant.

The Central Park Conservancy, the nonprofit which operates the park and came out last summer in support of banning horse-drawn carriages, said the back-to-back tragedies should bring an end to the industry.

‘We are absolutely devastated to learn that Romanch Mahajan, the 18-year-old visitor injured in today’s carriage incident, has died,’ the Conservancy wrote. 

‘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 hope today’s injuries are the last we ever see.’

The overturned carriage could be seen in pieces following the fatal accident on Wednesday

The carriage was strewn across the park’s loop road following the devastating crash

Some animal activist groups, like PETA, have long protested horse-drawn carriage rides in the park, arguing that the animals are put in danger because of nearby car traffic and forced to work in poor conditions, especially in extreme weather. 

Last week, a horse named Deniz collapsed and died while giving two people a ride.  

According to a report from the Transit Workers Union, the horse had eaten a poisonous shrub and had a medical episode.

The death of the horse coupled with Wednesdays passenger death prompted Council Member Shahana Hanif to speak out.

‘Deniz’s tragic death and the recent carriage crash in Central Park that claimed the life of an 18-year-old are heartbreaking reminders that horse-drawn carriages are unsafe for both horses and people. 

‘These incidents are not isolated. We must pass Ryder’s Law, end this outdated industry, and ensure a just transition for workers. New York can and must do better. 

A horse that collapsed and died while carrying two passengers in New York’s Central Par last week had ingested a foliage from a Japanese Yew (stock image)

Several incidents have reignited a long-running dispute over whether the horses, which have been a favorite of many visitors since Central Park opened in 1858, should be banned

Last August, a carriage horse named Lady also collapsed and died in Hell’s Kitchen, weeks after a New York jury acquitted carriage horse driver Ian McKeever of animal abuse charges for Ryder, a 30-year-old carriage horse who collapsed while on the job and later had to be put down.

A City Council bill from 2024, named for Ryder, would ban the practice altogether, but it didn’t pass.

Councilmember Chris Marte said in a joint statement with Julie Cappiello, the president of Voters for Animal Rights, that he’d reintroduced Ryder’s Law in City Council following Deniz’s collapse.

‘Council Member Marte will introduce Ryder’s Law, legislation to transition New York City away from horse-drawn carriages and toward a safer, more humane future,’ the June 9 statement reads.

‘We cannot allow this to be treated as another isolated incident,’ said fellow Councilman Christopher Marte. ‘The Council must act with the urgency this tragedy demands.’

Marte has has introduced a bill to ban carriages at the end of next year. There are more than 100 carriage horses in Manhattan.

On Wednesday night City Council speaker Julie Menin said the Council would take up Marte’s bill next month.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he thinks that carriage horses should be banned from the park, but has also said he wants to work with the drivers union to protect their jobs and find a solution that appeases both sides.

Mamdani called Wednesday’s death a ‘horrific incident’. 

‘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.