A 16-year-old tourist died after a horse-drawn carriage accident in New York City’s Central Park on June 17, police said. The horse bolted, the carriage crashed, and the teen later died at NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center. The incident is alre
The day after a carriage horse bolted through Central Park, the city’s debate over horse-drawn rides turned from politics back into blood-and-brain facts.
On June 17, an 18-year-old died after falling from a horse-drawn carriage in New York City’s Central Park, police said. The incident was reported at about 2:47 p.m. local time near 71st Street and Center Drive, according to a New York Police Department spokesperson.
Police said the teenager was critically injured after falling from a horse carriage. He was transported by emergency medical services to NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Police said no other injuries were reported.
The Central Park Conservancy, a nonprofit that operates the park, identified the teen as Romanch Mahajan, saying he was a tourist visiting the park. The NYPD did not name the victim.
Council member Harvey Epstein said he was “horrified by the tragic accident that took place today in Central Park.” In a statement posted on social media. Epstein said the horse was carrying three passengers when it sprinted away. crashed into another horse-drawn carriage and caused both horses to collapse. His message added: “My heart goes out to the victim’s family, the injured, and everyone affected by this devastating event.”.
The incident triggered immediate calls for answers. No arrests have been made, and the investigation remains ongoing, police said.
A video shared on social media showed the horse bolting away from its driver and running through the park. with at least two people appearing to jump or fall from the carriage. Another video showed the carriage flipping over with the remaining passengers inside after its wheels struck another carriage at the park.
Behind the scenes, the union representing carriage workers said the driver’s actions are being treated as unacceptable, and the industry’s response is already colliding with the public’s demand for safeguards.
Transport Workers Union. which represents horse carriage industry employees. told NBC New York it supported a “full investigation” of the incident. In remarks attributed to Alexander Kemp. the administrative vice president of the union’s local chapter. the driver appeared to be “at least at arm’s length from his horse to take a photo of his passengers” when the horse “took off for unknown reasons.”.
Kemp said the horse had been in the park for only six weeks when the incident occurred. He called the driver’s alleged actions “unacceptable,” adding that drivers are “not supposed to leave the carriage to take photos – ever.”
Following the incident, Kemp said the union was told the carriage owner has suspended the driver “indefinitely,” and the horse involved will be taken out of service.
“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. ” Kemp said in a statement. He also pointed to growing safety concerns and said improvements are needed for all vehicles in the park. including e-bicycles. delivery vehicles. pedicabs. and horse-drawn carriages.
The timing of Mahajan’s death is striking to advocates because it lands about a week after another deadly Central Park horse incident.
On the evening of June 9, a 16-year-old carriage horse named Deniz collapsed and died while pulling two passengers in Central Park, police said. At the time, police said the horse suffered a medical episode while pulling the carriage near West Drive and West 72nd Street.
TWU Local 100 previously said Deniz had been under Nurettin Kirbiyik—described as the horse’s owner, caretaker and carriage driver—for about a decade. The union said the horse was well-known among tourists for his distinctive brown-and-white coloring.
The horse was last examined by the NYPD Mounted Unit’s veterinarian in March and was found fit for work, the union said. Union officials said there were no signs the horse was ill before the June 9 incident.
On June 16. the union reported that a necropsy conducted by Cornell University found that the horse had “ingested a toxic yew plant. a species known to be highly poisonous to animals and humans.” The union said it is calling for a review of potentially toxic plants in Central Park to “help ensure the safety of animals and the public alike.”.
The Central Park Conservancy called the union’s claims “unverified.” The organization said that prior to Deniz’s death, there have been seven horse-related incidents in the park over the past 13 months.
The conservancy also asserted that “TWU has now demonstrated how their own negligence has resulted in this unfortunate incident. ” saying that NYC Parks rules plainly forbid horses from eating vegetation anywhere across the park’s 843 acres. The organization said the same rule requires carriage drivers and operators to attend to their horses at all times to keep them safe and healthy.
Perhaps because of that chain of events, the deaths have intensified a push to change the structure of carriage riding itself.
In recent years, Central Park’s roughly 150-year-old horse-drawn carriage industry has faced intense backlash from animal rights advocates, local officials and park management over several high-profile incidents involving horses.
In August 2025. a horse collapsed and died in Manhattan after suffering an apparent aortic rupture. according to the Animal Welfare Institute. a non-profit organization. That same month. the organization said a runaway horse and carriage in Central Park “sent a crowd of pedestrians scrambling for safety and eventually crashed into a sign.”.
In August 2022, a carriage horse named Ryder collapsed in Manhattan and was later euthanized, the Animal Welfare Institute said. The organization said an investigation revealed that the horse was suffering from multiple diseases and was a decade older than his driver had initially reported.
Now, the death of Deniz has renewed calls from animal rights advocates and local officials to ban horse-drawn carriage rides at Central Park. USA TODAY reported that the Central Park Conservancy has also shared its support of banning horse-drawn carriages.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals posted a video of the deceased horse on social media and urged city lawmakers to pass Ryder’s Law, a proposed bill named after Ryder that would ban horse-drawn carriage rides.
Since the incident, several city officials—including Mayor Zohran Mamdani—have expressed support in removing horse carriages from the park. New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin previously said multiple bills related to carriage horses were expected to move through the legislative process.
In response to the deaths of Mahajan and Deniz. Epstein also called for the New York City Council to pass Ryder’s Law. saying: “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. New York City cannot continue to ignore these tragedies. The City Council must pass Ryder’s Law and bring an end to horse-drawn carriages once and for all.”.
Central Park horse-drawn carriage NYC police Romanch Mahajan Deniz Transport Workers Union TWU Local 100 Nurettin Kirbiyik Ryder's Law Harvey Epstein Zohran Mamdani Julie Menin animal welfare