Tourist, 18, dies after horse-drawn carriage crash in NYC’s Central Park
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An 18-year-old man was killed Wednesday when a horse-drawn carriage was startled and spun in New York City’s Central Park before colliding with another car and overturning, according to the Central Park Conservancy.
A spokesperson for the New York City Police Department (NYPD) told Fox News Digital that the “investigation is ongoing.”
Romanch Mahajan, an 18-year-old visiting NYC from India, was fatally injured after falling from a car in the afternoon incident near Cherry Hill at West 72nd Street and West Drive.
A horse-drawn carriage carrying passengers broke free and sped toward West Drive, then hit another car and overturned near the Tavern on the Green, authorities said.
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Emergency responders gathered around an overturned horse carriage in Central Park after 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan was fatally injured when the carriage crashed into another car and rolled over. (WNYW)
PIX11 News previously reported It was stated that after the accident, Mahajan was transferred to a local hospital where his condition was critical.
“We are absolutely devastated to learn of the death of Romanch Mahajan, the 18-year-old visitor injured in today’s car accident,” a Central Park Conservancy spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “On behalf of everyone at Central Park Conservancy, we extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones during this unimaginable time.”
Authorities did not say what caused the horse to spook.
The fatal accident led to a re-examination of New York City’s horse-drawn carriage industry; Both the union representing motorists and the Central Park Conservancy called for change following the incident.
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A view of Central Park in Manhattan, New York, where 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan died when a horse-drawn carriage overturned on Wednesday. (iStock)
Alexander Kemp of TWU Local 100, the union that represents carriage drivers and owners, said preliminary information suggests the driver may have walked away from the horse to take photos before the animal took off.
“It appears that the driver was at least an arm’s length away from his horse to take photographs of the passengers in the car,” Kemp said in an earlier statement to Fox News Digital. “This is unacceptable. A driver should never get out of the car to take a photo.”
The union said it supported a full investigation into the incident and called for increased driver training, tougher testing and additional rules on introducing new horses into the industry.
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The Central Park Conservancy, which has long opposed horse-drawn carriages in the park, said Mahajan’s death underscores concerns about public safety.
“This is the tragedy we feared last year when we first called for horse-drawn carriages to be banned from Central Park because of the risks they pose to public safety and public health,” the spokesman said.
“A young man who came to enjoy our park lost his life. This is not an acceptable cost for a run-down industry operating in the middle of one of America’s most heavily used public spaces.”
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In 2024, a horse-drawn carriage rides through Central Park in New York City. An 18-year-old passenger died when a horse carriage crashed and overturned in the park on Wednesday. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images, File)
The Conservative Party has renewed its call on New York City officials to pass the Ryder Act, which would ban horse-drawn carriages and provide temporary job placement services for drivers.
“Every day that horse-drawn carriages are in the park is a day that the safety of New Yorkers and visitors is at risk,” the spokesperson said.
Wednesday’s accident was the eighth horse-related incident in and around Central Park in the past 13 months, according to the conservancy.
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The incident occurred just days after the horse-drawn carriage named Deniz crashed and died while pulling tourists in the park near West 72nd Street and West Drive.
In May, another car reportedly overturned after a horse got spooked and crashed into a second car.
Fox News Digital has reached out to NYPD and TWU Local 100 for additional comment.
