Teen tourist thrown to death by Central Park horse was trying to save mom who flew out of carriage during family’s first visit to Big Apple
The tourist who was thrown to his death during a horseback ride in Central Park was trying to save his mother during what was supposed to be a fun first trip to the Big Apple.
18-year-old Romanch Mahajan was riding one of the city’s iconic horse-drawn carriages with his mother, father and younger brother when tragedy struck just before 3pm on Wednesday.
The young man’s father, Deepak Mahajan, said the car driver stopped to take a photo of the family coming from India, when the horse suddenly jumped out with all of them inside. New York Times.
His distraught father shouted, “Help, help!” “We were shouting,” he recalled.
Deepak said he and his family held each other tightly, but as the car sped towards the pavement, his wife Priya flew out and Romanch immediately jumped out to save her.
‘My son fell to save his mother. Deepak, 44, told the NYT, “Mom!” he shouted.
While doing this, Romanch hit his head on the ground. He was pronounced dead Wednesday night at NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center.
The rest of his family suffered minor injuries. During the incident, their car was totaled after crashing into another car.
Romanch Mahajan, 18, died after flying from his horse-drawn carriage in New York’s Central Park on Wednesday.
Chaos quickly ensued as the family of four enjoyed a horse and carriage ride on Wednesday afternoon
In the dramatic images recorded by the surrounding people, the driver is seen running after the wagon that went out of control.
The operator soon caught up with the frightened horse named Sampson near the Green on the Green restaurant.
The seven-year-old horse was uninjured and appeared to be in stable condition.
Just hours before the fatal incident, Romanch’s parents shared several photos of themselves traveling all over New York on Instagram.
They visited iconic landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, Battery Park, the Charging Bull on Wall Street, the Oculus, and more.
It’s an alarming moment for Central Park’s 150-year-old horse-drawn carriage industry, which faces a growing threat of a ban from opponents who say the rides are both inhumane to horses and a danger to city residents.
Alexander Kemp, vice president of Transportation Workers Union Local 100, said the deadly incident should never have happened.
“It appears the rider was at least an arm’s length away from his horse,” Kemp said in a statement.
Just hours before the fatal incident, Romanch’s parents shared several photos of themselves traveling all over New York on Instagram.
‘This is unacceptable. A driver should never leave the car to take photos. ‘We support a full investigation.’
PETA Director Ashley Byrne also released a statement in response to Wednesday’s incident.
‘From collapsing horses to lurching cars, how many more disasters must occur before we get these beleaguered horses out of the park?’ Byrne said.
‘For everyone’s safety, PETA is calling on council members, Health Committee Chair Lynn Schulman, and Speaker Julie Menin to stop hesitating and pass the Ryder Act immediately.’
Wednesday’s incident follows several recent horse-related problems at the park, including the fatal collapse of a horse that died after eating a poisonous plant last week.
According to a report from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine distributed by TWU Local 100, the animal had ingested leaves from a Japanese yew tree.
The horse named Deniz fell ill and died while under the care of the carriage driver Nurettin Kırbıyık on the Eastern Road of the park on June 9.
The autopsy report revealed there were ‘plenty of plant needles’ in the horse’s stomach, mouth and digestive tract. According to the report published by TWU Local 100, Kırbıyık saw ‘no signs’ that the horse was disturbed before it collapsed. ‘I feel like I lost a family member,’ he said.
He was pronounced dead Wednesday night at NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center. The rest of his family suffered minor injuries
The Central Park Conservancy, the nonprofit that runs the park and which came out last summer in support of banning horse-drawn carriages, said the back-to-back tragedies should put an end to the industry.
“We were absolutely devastated to learn of the death of Romanch Mahajan, the 18-year-old visitor injured in today’s car incident,” the conservancy wrote.
‘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 to public safety and public health. A young man who came to enjoy our park lost his life. That’s not an acceptable cost for a seedy industry operating in the middle of one of America’s most heavily used public spaces.
‘We hope today’s injuries are the last we see.’
