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- Horse carriage rides in New York City's Central Park are paused at least until Tuesday.
- Safety protocols are under review following Romanch Mahajan's fatal accident.
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani supports ending the industry amid safety concerns and animal welfare debates.
NEW YORK — Horse carriage rides in Central Park are on hold at least until Tuesday, the union representing drivers said, as safety protocols are reviewed in the wake of a death of a young tourist who jumped from a runaway horse carriage.
Alexander Kemp, administrative vice president of Transport Workers Union Local 100, said in a statement Friday that "our hearts go out to the family" of Romanch Mahajan, 18, who died Wednesday after he hit his head while jumping off the four-wheeled carriage as its horse sprinted through the park without the driver.
"Words can't express the enormity of this tragedy," Kemp said. "We are taking the first steps towards addressing safety issues."
Among the safety protocols to be reviewed are how to maintain control of the carriage horses at all times, he said.
Kemp said at a news conference Friday that the union is putting together the new safety training protocols with feedback from the horse carriage operators that will be rolled out next week and that about 200 carriage owners and drivers will be required to follow.
Mahajan is believed to be the first person to die in a horse carriage accident since they were introduced in Central Park more than 150 years ago, according to the labor union representing the industry and the Central Park Conservancy, which manages the 843-acre park.
Mahajan had traveled from India with his family to celebrate his recent high school graduation when the family decided to take a ride on one of the park's often photographed, richly decorated carriages, his father told The New York Times.
The carriage driver hopped off to take a photograph of the family near a fountain when the horse suddenly bolted. Romanch's mother fell out of the carriage, and the teen jumped out in an attempt to save her, according to his father.
The Central Park Conservancy was among those arguing Thursday that the carriage industry should be suspended until more protections can be put in place. Mahajan's death was the eighth horse-related incident in the park over the past 13 months, the group said.
The conservancy has argued that horses can no longer safely share park roads teeming with joggers, cyclists, pedestrians and motorized scooters, noting that other U.S. cities, including Chicago and San Antonio, have also recently done away with the nostalgic rides.
But carriage industry leaders said the fatal crash underscores the need for better protections, not outright elimination of the quaint attraction that harkens back to a romanticized, bygone New York.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani reiterated his support for ending the industry, saying he'd work with the council, the industry and animal welfare advocates to "deliver a just transition that protects workers while ending horse-drawn carriages in Central Park once and for all."
Other recent mayors have made similar pronouncements. Mayor Bill de Blasio vowed to shut down the industry "on day one" in office, only to come up against years of council opposition. Mayor Eric Adams, Mamdani's predecessor, came out against the industry near the end of his single term.
Kemp said Friday that the union wanted to "do all that we can, collaborating with the city, to improve safety and prevent any accidents from occurring as we move forward."
The union said it supported increased oversight of drivers including regular checks in the parks and enforcement of protocols that require drivers to be in their seats when passengers get on board, throughout the ride and when they exit. Idle horses should also be tethered.
Animal welfare activists have long said the carriage horses are overworked, can get easily spooked on city streets and live in inadequate stables while their drivers regularly flout city rules. All of those allegations have been denied by the horse and carriage owners, who say the animals are well cared for and the stables are fine.
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Teenager dies in horse-drawn carriage accident in New York
An 18-year-old man has died after falling from a horse-drawn carriage in New York City, police have said.
The teenager, identified locally as a tourist from India, was riding on the carriage in Central Park with three others when the driver stepped away to take a picture of the group, police told US media.
The horse then bolted, before clipping another carriage and toppling over, footage showed.
The critically injured young man was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. The three other passengers did not require treatment, according to reports.
"It appears the driver was at least at arm's length from his horse," Alexander Kemp, a vice president of the union, Transport Workers Union Local 100, said in a statement to local media.
"This is unacceptable. A driver is not supposed to leave the carriage to take photos - ever. We support a full investigation."
The accident comes a week after a carriage horse called Deniz died in Central Park from eating a toxic plant, according to the initial autopsy results.
Horse-drawn carriages in Central Park are a popular tourist attraction, but their use has long been criticised by animal rights activists.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he supports removing the carriages from the park.
New York City Council member Shahana Hanif said the latest incidents "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," he wrote on X. "New York can and must do better."
Under the Ryder's Law bill, the city would not issue any more carriage licenses and phase out the rides over two years.
Another local council member Harvey Epstein said he was "horrified" by the "tragic accident".
"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," he said in a statement posted on X.
"New York City can't continue to ignore these tragedies."
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A family of tourists’ picturesque outing in a Central Park carriage turned into a nightmare Wednesday when an 18-year-old from India died after an out-of-control horse pulling the carriage he was riding in suddenly bolted, sending the carriage careening onto its side as onlookers watched in horror.
The precise circumstances of the 2:47 p.m. crash at Cherry Hill near Bethesda Fountain were still coming into focus late Wednesday. Early reports indicated the 18-year-old was in the carriage when it flipped over, but another source familiar with the situation told The News he fell out as the horse began running, but before the carriage went over.
The NYPD reported three other passengers were able to get out of the carriage without suffering significant injury. The boy, identified by law enforcement sources as Romanch Mahajan, was taken to an area hospital, initially in critical condition. At about 6:45 pm, police said he had died.
The four passengers were members of a family of tourists visiting the city from India.
The driver was not in the carriage when the horse bolted, having stepped out to take a photo of the party in violation of standard procedure, union officials said. He has been indefinitely suspended and the horse has been taken out of service, according to the union.
“I saw the teenager on the ground by Cherry Hill. He was motionless,” said 48-year-old Helen David, a pedicab driver who witnessed the horror.
“His father was over him. His mother was on the phone, held by her little boy. They were hysterical.”
The fatal accident is sparking renewed calls for the City Council to pass Ryder’s Law, banning the horse carriages from Central Park.
“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,” a spokesman for The Central Park Conservancy, the non-profit that manages the park, said in a statement. “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.”
A journalist for the local outlet West Side Rag, who was in the park at the time of the incident, reported hearing screams from the carriage as it barreled past. A video making the rounds on social media shows a white carriage from behind moving quickly. Shortly into the video, it tips over as it appears to glance off a black horse-drawn carriage on the park drive.
In another apparent video of the incident, taken just as the horse bolts, the carriage appears to hop a curb, sending a rear wheel into the air. As a man chases after the out of control equine, two people — one dressed in green, the other in a light colored shirt — can be seen falling or jumping out of the carriage.
“It appears the driver was at least at arm’s length from his horse to take a photo of his passengers in the carriage,” the Transport Workers Union, which represents the roughly 200 carriage horse owners and drivers, said in a statement. “This is unacceptable,” the statement continued. “A driver is not supposed to leave the carriage to take photos – ever. We support a full investigation.”
Added TWU Local 100 Vice President Alexander Kemp: “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.”
The incident comes amid a pitched battle for the future of the carriage horse industry in New York City, and a week after a horse died after ingesting a poisonous plant in the park. The tragic episode is likely to intensify calls to end the Central Park tradition.
New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Council Member Lynn Schulman, Chair of the Committee on Health, issued a joint statement calling the tragedy horrific and heartbreaking and saying: “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,” the statement said. “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.”
Councilmember Christopher Marte, who is sponsoring legislation to ban horse carriages from the park, said in a statement that “this is yet another serious and terrifying incident involving a carriage horse in Central Park, and it should make clear to everyone that delay is no longer defensible,”
“We are waiting for full details, but the pattern is deeply troubling. Horses have collapsed, bolted, crashed, died, injured workers, endangered passengers, and now sent another New Yorker to the hospital. No minor reform will make a 1,800-pound frightened animal safe in a crowded public park.”
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