Teen Dies Saving Mother in Central Park Carriage Tragedy

An 18-year-old tourist from India died on June 17 after jumping from a runaway horse-drawn carriage in New York’s Central Park in an apparent attempt to save his mother, according to USA Today. The tragedy has reignited a fierce debate over the future of the 150-year-old horse carriage industry and prompted renewed calls to pass Ryder’s Law, a bill that would ban the practice.

The Incident

Romanch Mahajan, who had just graduated high school and been accepted to a university in Jaipur, was visiting New York City with his father Deepak, mother Priya, and younger brother Maanik to celebrate his graduation. The family took a carriage ride through Central Park on the afternoon of June 17.

Near the Cherry Hill area at approximately 2:47 p.m., the driver dismounted to take a photo of the family. While the driver was out of position, the horse — a 7-year-old named Sampson who had been in the park for only six weeks — bolted for unknown reasons.

“We were yelling, ‘Help me, help me!’” Deepak Mahajan told The New York Times. “My son, just to save his mother, he fell off.”

Romanch’s mother fell from the carriage, and he jumped out to help her. He hit his head on the pavement. The carriage continued out of control, crashing into another horse-drawn carriage near Tavern on the Green and toppling over. The rest of the family escaped with minor injuries. Romanch was transported to New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

A First in 150 Years

Romanch Mahajan is believed to be the first person to die in a horse carriage accident in Central Park since the industry began more than 150 years ago, according to the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100, which represents carriage drivers.

“We’re absolutely gutted and stunned by this tragedy. We’ve never had a fatal accident like this before,” said Alexander Kemp, Administrative Vice President of TWU Local 100, in a statement. “We have shuttered the stables and ceased operations today while we have extensive internal discussions of safety protocols and how they can be improved.”

Kemp confirmed that the driver has been suspended indefinitely by the carriage owner and that Sampson will be retired from the business. The union also halted all carriage rides through the weekend of June 20-21 for a “safety stand-down.”

Renewed Calls for a Ban

The Central Park Conservancy, the nonprofit that manages the park, issued an impassioned statement on June 17, calling Mahajan’s death the eighth horse-related incident in the park over the past 13 months.

“This is the tragedy we feared when we first called last year for horse carriages to be banned from Central Park due to the risks they pose to public safety and public health,” the Conservancy said. “A young man came to enjoy our park and lost his life. 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.”

The Conservancy renewed its call for the City Council to pass Ryder’s Law, named after a carriage horse who collapsed and was euthanized in August 2022. The bill would ban horse-drawn carriages from Central Park and provide transitional job placement services for displaced drivers.

City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Council Member Lynn Schulman announced in a joint statement that the Council will hold a hearing on Ryder’s Law in July.

“It is now time to act,” they said. “We look forward to hearing from all stakeholders and reviewing measures to address horse welfare and public safety concerns as we work toward a thoughtful solution to this urgent issue.”

Council Member Christopher Marte, the bill’s prime sponsor, called the death preventable. “For years, New Yorkers have warned that horse-drawn carriages are unsafe for passengers, workers, pedestrians, parkgoers, and the horses themselves,” he said. “The council must pass Ryder’s Law and end horse-drawn carriages before the next preventable tragedy is even worse.”

Industry Defends Its Record

Not everyone agrees that a ban is the right solution. Onur Altintas, a carriage horse owner, argued that the incident was caused by driver error rather than an inherent flaw in the industry.

“We are sad about what happened. Nobody wants that. But it’s not like this is happening every day,” Altintas told NBC New York. “Car crashes and plane crashes are happening every single day. One horse makes an accident, and the world is destroyed? Come on.”

The industry provides hundreds of jobs to drivers, stable hands, and farriers, and rides — which cost approximately $72 for the first 20 minutes — remain a popular tourist attraction. The union has instead advocated for safety reforms, including installing hitching posts throughout the park where drivers could secure their horses.

What’s Next

With Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the Central Park Conservancy, and key City Council leaders all aligned in support of Ryder’s Law, political momentum appears to be shifting decisively toward a ban. Other U.S. cities, including Chicago and San Antonio, have recently ended horse-drawn carriage rides.

However, previous mayoral pledges to shut down the industry — including by former Mayors Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams — failed due to council opposition and political complexities. The July hearing on Ryder’s Law will be a critical test of whether this tragedy will finally bring an end to one of New York’s most iconic and controversial traditions.

For the Mahajan family, the loss is immeasurable. “This incident should be taken very seriously,” Deepak Mahajan said. “It took my son’s dream away.”