The grieving relatives of an 18-year-old tourist who was fatally thrown from a horse-drawn carriage in Central Park are calling on New York City to ban the industry, warning that any lesser response would make his death seem like “a temporary inconvenience.”
The family of Romanch Mahajan made the plea in an emotional letter read Monday during a vigil in the park, urging city officials to take “immediate decisive action” and permanently phase out horse-drawn carriage rides before another tragedy occurs.
“The industry responsible for my nephew’s death is preparing to resume passenger tours this Tuesday, treating the loss of Romanch’s life as a temporary inconvenience,” Romanch’s uncle, Gaurav Mahajan, wrote in the letter addressed to the mayor’s office.
Gaurav called the planned return of carriage rides a “profound insult to our family” and said it posed “a direct threat to the public safety of every tourist and resident in New York City.”
“Allowing these carriages back onto the streets while our family is planning a funeral proves that the city values an antiquated novelty over human life,” he said.
“We demand that you use the full power of your office to halt the resumption of these rides immediately.”
The carriage drivers’ union had voluntarily put a temporary pause on rides after Romanch died Wednesday while visiting from India with his parents and younger brother to celebrate his high school graduation.
Authorities have said the carriage driver allegedly violated safety procedures by stepping away to take photos of the family when the horse suddenly bolted.
The embattled local industry’s temporary halt on the rides is set to be lifted Tuesday.
Monday’s vigil was held in honor of Romanch and also to announce that Ryder’s Law, a bill before City Council that would phase out the horse carriages, was being changed to Romanch’s Law by its latest sponsor, Councilman Chris Marte.
Under the bill, it would take two years to phase out the carriages to fully transition their drivers to new jobs, Marte said at the vigil, which was attended by about a dozen people consisting of his staff and animal advocates.
EXCLUSIVE: Heartbroken Widow Speaks Out After Husband Dies in B-52 Bomber Crash
But Marte said he is focused on ending the practice as soon as possible and is “happy to discuss” additional safety measures in the meantime.
“What I want is to end this practice immediately,” the pol said at the vigil. “We don’t think that it should take another two years where we can allow the risk to be living in our park and in our city.”
Activists noted City Hall could halt the industry by filing an emergency injunction against the drivers.
A Post request for comment from City Hall was not returned.
The proposed legislation to ban the carriages was first pitched in 2022 by former city Councilman Bob Holden weeks before tragic horse Ryder collapsed and later died. It has yet to see a vote.
In November, the City Council’s health panel refused to advance it out of committee despite support from the Central Park Conservancy and then-Mayor Eric Adams.
But Marte said support from City Council Speaker Julie Menin after Romanch’s death marked a turning point, with a hearing on the bill now set for July 15.
“Typically, what we’ve seen is every administration from the de Blasio administration make promises that were never kept,” he said.
“But now we have an opportunity to really pass this legislation and permanently end this practice here in Central Park.”
Former city councilman Sen. Erik Bottcher said at the vigil that Romanch’s “death was not unpredictable.
“In fact, his death was predicted. It was said many times that someone was gonna be killed,” Bottcher said.
“I am haunted by the photograph of Romanch’s mother cradling her son on the pavement with his little brother standing over her shoulder,” he said.
“Shame on us if we let this happen again.”
