Central Park horse carriage rides temporarily suspended following death of 18-year-old tourist

Horse-drawn carriage rides will be suspended in Central Park until next week following the death of an 18-year-old Indian tourist who was in a runaway carriage with his family.

The move comes after growing calls from advocates and elected officials to fully ban the rides following a string of incidents over the last year where people and the horses were put in danger.

The Transport Workers Union announced Thursday, a day after Romanch Mahajan was killed, that rides would be suspended while they assess safety protocols. The union announced on Friday that the suspension would continue until at least Tuesday.

The 18-year-old victim was with his parents and younger brother in a carriage Wednesday afternoon when the driver got out to take a picture of the family and suddenly the horse took off "for unknown reasons," according to the TWU and police.

The carriage clipped the wheel of another carriage and toppled, according to TWU Local 100 Administrative Vice President Alexander Kemp.

Mahajan fell out of the carriage, and died at the hospital later in the afternoon, police said.

Deepak Mahajan, the victim's father, told the New York Times Thursday that his son jumped out of the carriage to help his wife, Priya, who fell out of the carriage first.

This was the first time the family had visited New York City, Deepak Mahajan told the Times.

The other family members suffered minor injuries, police said. This is the first time a person has been killed during a carriage ride in the park, according to the union.

An investigation is ongoing, police said.

The carriage driver was suspended and the horse, which had only been in the park for six weeks, was retired from service, according to the TWU.

"Our hearts go out the family of Romanch Mahajan. Words can't express the enormity of this tragedy. We are taking the first steps towards [addressing] safety issues," Kemp said in a statement Friday.

The union said while the carriage service is suspended, drivers will "participate in group meetings to go over safety rules and protocols regarding carriage operations, including how to secure and maintain control of carriage horses at all times."

"On Monday, refresher training will shift to Central Park with horse-drawn carriages, but no passenger tours will be conducted until Tuesday," the union said.

The horses will still be walked outside of their barn in the park for exercise during the service suspension, according to the TWU.

Despite these actions, several prominent city groups, including the Central Park Conservancy, have called for a permanent ban on horse-drawn carriages, citing several safety incidents.

There have been eight such incidents in the last 13 months, according to the conservancy, including one in January where a horse ran into traffic and struck several cars.

City Council Speaker Julie Menin announced Wednesday that the council will hold hearings in July for a bill dubbed "Ryder's Law," which would ban horse drawn carriages in parks starting in 2028.

The bill, which is named after a horse that collapsed and died in Manhattan in 2022, would "require humane disposition of carriage horses, prohibiting their sale or transfer for the purposes of slaughter or use in another horse-drawn cab business," and provide drivers with workforce training to transition into new jobs.

As of Friday, the bill has 14 sponsors.

"The essential nature of a 2,000-pound animal simply cannot be regulated. Every day horse carriages are operating in the park is a day the safety of New Yorkers is in jeopardy. We cannot undo the tragedy of earlier this week, but ending the practice of carriages in the park will ensure no other families suffer," a spokesperson for the Central Park Conservancy said in a statement Friday.

The TWU has pushed back against calls to ban the carriages but said it is open to reforms.

The union said Friday that it supported "regular in-the-park checks and enforcement," of regulations, including driver licenses, proper handling of the carriages and proper carriage tethering.

The union also backed a separate City Council bill that only has eight sponsors, which would make several changes to horse carriage regulations, including more training and hitching posts in the park to tether the horses.

"This is believed to be the first passenger fatality in all that time, but we are committed to a Vision Zero approach where we do all that we can, collaborating with the city, to improve safety and prevent any accidents from occurring as we move forward," Kemp said.