NEW YORK — An 18-year-old tourist from India died after falling from a horse-drawn carriage in Central Park when the horse bolted, police said.
The incident occurred around 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday near Tavern on the Green, according to the New York Police Department. The victim, identified as Romanch Mahajan, was riding in the carriage with his family when the driver stepped out to take a photograph of the passengers.
Police said the horse became spooked and took off, causing the carriage to collide with another before overturning. Mahajan was thrown from the vehicle and suffered a head injury. He was transported to NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center in critical condition and later died from his injuries.
Three other family members were in the carriage at the time. Details on any injuries to them or others remained unclear. A pedestrian was also reported injured in the incident and taken to a hospital, according to some accounts.
The driver has been suspended indefinitely, and the horse is expected to be retired from carriage work, union representatives told local media.
"This is unacceptable. A driver is not supposed to leave the carriage to take photos – ever," a representative from the union for carriage drivers said.
The accident is the first reported human fatality involving a Central Park horse carriage in recent memory. It comes one week after another carriage horse, named Deniz, collapsed and died in the park after eating a toxic plant, according to officials.
Animal rights groups, including NYCLASS and PETA, renewed calls for a ban on horse-drawn carriages in the city, citing safety risks to animals, drivers, passengers and pedestrians. They referenced proposed legislation known as Ryder’s Law aimed at phasing out the practice.
Carriage industry representatives have previously attributed some incidents to park conditions and defended the tradition, which has operated in Central Park for decades.
New York City Council leaders have called for a hearing on safety reforms in July, officials said.
As of Thursday, the NYPD was continuing its investigation into the circumstances of the crash. The Mahajan family had been on their first trip to New York from India.
No further details on potential charges were immediately available.
