Police confirmed Wednesday that a runaway horse-drawn carriage in Central Park claimed the life of an 18-year-old visitor from India.
The victim was identified as Romanch Mahajan, according to ABC News. The incident unfolded around 2:47 p.m. near West 67th Street; Mahajan was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries.
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A family of four was riding in the carriage when the horse bolted for unknown reasons, according to CBS News. According to TWU Local 100 Administrative Vice President Alexander Kemp, the driver had exited the carriage to snap a photo of his passengers and, in Kemp's words, "was at least at arm's length from his horse" at the moment the animal bolted. Contact with a wheel of a second carriage caused the vehicle to tip over, Kemp said. Kemp noted the horse had been in the park just six weeks; it was later located near Tavern on the Green without any injuries.
Kemp said the owner of the carriage has placed the driver on indefinite suspension and intends to remove the horse from service entirely. Stepping out of a carriage to photograph passengers is strictly forbidden under industry rules, Kemp said.
Citing the fatality, the Central Park Conservancy again urged the city to enact Ryder's Law, legislation that would remove horse-drawn carriages from the park entirely, according to CBS News. A City Council vote on the measure collapsed in November, though lawmakers have since brought it back, and a hearing is set for July, according to ABC News.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who said he had been briefed on the incident, voiced his commitment to phasing out horse carriages in city parks and pledged to pursue what he called "a just transition" alongside the City Council and other stakeholders, according to CBS News.
Update, June 18, 2026: The other three passengers in the carriage refused medical treatment at the scene, according to reports.