The crash has renewed debate over horse-drawn carriages in one of New York City’s busiest public spaces.
NEW YORK CITY, NY — An 18-year-old tourist died after he was thrown from a horse-drawn carriage that bolted through Central Park on Wednesday afternoon, police said, turning a family ride near the park’s busy loop into a fatal crash.
The teen, identified in published reports as Romanch Mahajan of India, had been riding with family members when the horse broke away from its driver shortly before 3 p.m. The incident left one passenger critically injured, ended in the carriage overturning after contact with another carriage and quickly reopened a long-running fight over whether the city should continue allowing horse-drawn rides in Central Park.
Police said the crash happened near 71st Street and Central Drive, close to Tavern on the Green, at about 2:45 p.m. Officers found the teen after he had fallen from the carriage. Emergency medical workers took him to NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center in critical condition, and he later died. The New York Police Department said the cause of the crash remained under investigation. Alexander Kemp, administrative vice president of the Transport Workers Union Local 100, said the carriage driver had stepped down to take a photograph of the passengers, a move the union said drivers are not supposed to make while operating a carriage.
The horse, named Sampson in published reports, had been working in the park for about six weeks, union officials said. Video from the park showed a horse running along the loop with a carriage behind it as people nearby reacted. Another video showed the carriage tipping after it clipped the wheels of another carriage. At least two passengers were thrown from the moving carriage, according to police and reports from the scene. The other passengers refused medical treatment, police said. Kemp said the driver’s conduct was “unacceptable” and said the carriage owner suspended the driver indefinitely. The union also said Sampson was not injured and would be retired from carriage work.
Mahajan was visiting New York City with his parents and younger brother, according to published reports that cited his father, Deepak Mahajan. The family had stopped during the ride for a photo when the horse moved off. Deepak Mahajan said his wife, Priya, fell from the carriage and that his son then fell while trying to help her. “We were yelling, ‘Help me, help me,’” Deepak Mahajan said in a published account. A nearby vendor, Md Shafi Islam, said the horse moved faster than the driver could run. “The horse was going so fast,” Islam said. Police have not said whether any criminal charges are expected.
The death came during a tense period for the city’s carriage industry. One week earlier, a 16-year-old carriage horse named Deniz collapsed and died in Central Park during a ride near 72nd Street. The Transport Workers Union said Deniz likely died after eating Japanese yew, a toxic plant found in the park, while the Central Park Conservancy and animal welfare groups pointed to the death as another sign that horse-drawn carriage rides should end. In May, two horse-drawn carriages collided in Central Park, overturning one carriage and injuring a driver. The Central Park Conservancy has reported several horse-related incidents this year.
The crash revived calls for Ryder’s Law, a City Council proposal that would phase out horse-drawn carriages in New York City, move horses out of the trade and offer job placement services to drivers and handlers. The measure is named for Ryder, a carriage horse who collapsed in Manhattan in 2022 and later died. Supporters say the industry places horses, riders and pedestrians in danger in a crowded park used by millions of people each year. Drivers and their union have argued that the industry supports working families and that safety should be improved without banning the trade. The bill has faced past setbacks in the City Council, but supporters said the latest death added urgency.
The Central Park Conservancy, which operates the park, said Mahajan’s death showed the cost of keeping carriages in the park. “A young man came to enjoy our park and lost his life,” the group said. “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.” Kemp, speaking for the union, said a full investigation was needed and said safety concerns in the park go beyond carriages. He cited e-bikes, delivery vehicles, pedicabs and other vehicles that share space in and around the loop.
Central Park, a nearly 850-acre landmark, draws millions of visitors each year and has long been one of the city’s most visible stages for the horse-drawn carriage trade. Carriages line up near the park’s entrances, especially around Central Park South, offering rides that are marketed to tourists as a classic New York experience. The same visibility has made the industry a steady target for animal welfare groups, city lawmakers and park advocates who say the rides no longer fit the pace and crowding of modern Manhattan. Supporters say the carriages are regulated, inspected and part of the city’s history.
As of Thursday, police had not announced charges, and investigators had not released a final account of what caused Sampson to bolt. The driver’s suspension, the horse’s retirement and the pending police review remained the immediate actions after the crash.
Author note: Last updated June 18, 2026.