The family of an 18-year-old tourist who died after a Central Park carriage ride turned chaotic has filed a $105 million claim against New York City, alleging that a “stray electrical current” startled the horse and triggered the fatal incident.
Romanch Mahajan, who was visiting New York from India with his family, died in June after he fell from the carriage and struck his head while trying to help his mother during the frightening ride.
Mahajan’s family has now accused city officials and multiple agencies of negligence, claiming that stray voltage in Central Park caused the horse pulling the carriage to become suddenly agitated, according to the New York Times.
In a notice filed Friday, the family alleged that the city and Con Edison failed to properly safeguard both the carriage industry and the park where it operates. The filing says the stray electrical voltage “caused, precipitated, contributed to and/or was a substantial factor in” the horse’s abrupt reaction.
The claim also names several municipal bodies, including the Departments of Parks and Recreation, Health and Mental Hygiene, Transportation, and Consumer and Worker Protection, the outlet reported.
Con Edison spokesperson Jamie McShane told the New York Times that the utility detected “very low levels of stray voltage on July 16 and July 23.”
“We determined that neither instance originated from Con Edison equipment,” McShane added.
After reports of stray voltage emerged, the Transport Workers Union argued on X that the findings should prompt lawmakers to rethink proposed restrictions on horse-drawn carriages, writing: “NYC Council Members should now reconsider and reject the proposed carriage-horse ban, which would unfairly punish drivers for faulty city and Central Park Conservancy electrical infrastructure.”
Romanch Mahajan, 18, died in June after he fell out of the ride and hit his head while trying to rescue his mother during their family trip to the Big Apple from India
Mahajan’s family have since filed a claim against the New York City government and several municipal agencies alleging that a stray electrical voltage spooked the horse pulling the cart
The notice filed on Friday accused the city and Con Edison of failing to ensure the safety of the carriage industry and the park it operates in
Mahajan’s family have been publicly critical of the horse carriage industry and pushed for a ban since their son’s death. The teenager’s parents appeared on video during a Health Committee hearing on the bill that would see the industry’s ban, the Times reported.
In a statement to New York Daily News, the union said that the revelation ‘raises serious questions about whether the horse was shocked and whether stray voltage triggered the tragic incident.’
‘Now that we know there is a utility failure, it would be horrifically unfair to eliminate the jobs of 200 overwhelmingly immigrant workers without allowing a full investigation to be conducted,’ the union Vice President Alexander Kemp told the outlet.
To the Times, Kemp said in a statement: ‘Blue-collar carriage drivers should not be punished for an unforeseeable hazard caused by flaws in the city’s power grid.’
PETA Director Ashley Byrne released a statement in June in response to the incident.
‘From collapsing horses to careening carriages, how many more disasters have to strike before we get these beleaguered horses out of the park?’ Byrne said.
‘For everyone’s safety, PETA is calling on council members, Health Committee Chair Lynn Schulman, and Speaker Julie Menin to stop dithering and pass Ryder’s Law immediately.’
Currently, the bill has secured the backing of enough Council members to pass but awaits an environmental review to determine its economic impact, the outlet reported.
Mahajan’s family have been publicly critical of the horse carriage industry and pushed for a ban since their son’s death. Pictured: A group of animal rights activists outside NYC City Hall
Mahajan was killed in the tragic accident at Cherry Hill on June 17 after the carriage driver had stopped to take a photo of the family. The horse, Sampson, suddenly bolted with all of them inside, Deepak Mahajan, the teen’s father, told the Times in June.
‘We were yelling, “Help me, help me!”,’ his distraught father recalled to the outlet.
Deepak said he and his family clung to each other, but as the carriage stormed down the pavement, his wife, Priya, flew out, and their son immediately jumped out to save her.
‘My son, just to save his mother, he fell off. He was screaming, “Mom!”,’ Deepak, 44, continued.
As he did so, he hit his head on the ground. He was pronounced dead on Wednesday night at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center.
The rest of his family suffered minor injuries. Their carriage shattered into pieces after crashing into another during the incident.
The operator soon caught up to the startled horse near the restaurant Tavern on the Green.
The seven-year-old horse appeared to be uninjured and in stable condition.
Mahajan was killed at Cherry Hill after the carriage driver had stopped to take a photo of the family. As the carriage raced away, his mother, Priya, flew out, and he jumped out to save her
Just hours before the deadly incident, Romanch’s parents shared several pictures on Instagram of them traveling all over New York City.
They visited iconic landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, Battery Park, the Charging Bull on Wall Street, the Oculus, and more.
The Daily Mail reached out to the City of New York and Con Edison for comment.
