Elected leaders and animal welfare advocates are set to hold a vigil Monday in memory of the 18-year-old tourist who died after falling from a horse-drawn carriage in Central Park last Wednesday.
Romanch Mahajan, who was visiting New York City from India with his family, was fatally injured after the horse pulling the carriage was reportedly startled and took off. The horse ran along West Drive before the carriage collided with another carriage and overturned. Mahajan’s father said his son died while trying to protect his mother, who had been thrown from the carriage after the crash.
MAN DIES AFTER HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGE BOLTS, OVERTURNS NEAR MAJOR NEW YORK CITY TOURIST SITE
First responders surround an overturned horse-drawn carriage in Central Park after 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan was fatally injured when the carriage reportedly struck another carriage and flipped. (WNYW)
New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets (NYCLASS) said the vigil for Mahajan will be held at the Cherry Hill Fountain, near the site of the incident. The group also said the city’s proposed “Ryder’s Law” will be renamed “Romanch’s Law” in his honor.
Ryder’s Law is legislation intended to gradually eliminate horse-drawn carriages in New York City. The measure was introduced in 2022 by former City Council member Bob Holden after Ryder, a carriage horse, collapsed on a Hell’s Kitchen street and later died. Following Mahajan’s death, Council Member Chris Marte renewed calls for the bill to move forward, while Council Speaker Julie Menin said a hearing on the proposal is scheduled for July.
“It is now time to act. The Council recently introduced Ryder’s Law to address longstanding concerns surrounding the horse carriage industry, and we will hold a hearing on the bill in July. 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,” Menin said in a statement.
A horse-drawn carriage moves through Central Park in New York City in 2024. An 18-year-old passenger died Wednesday after a carriage reportedly bolted and overturned in the park. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images, File)
Alexander Kemp, administrative vice president of Transport Workers Union Local 100, said in a statement Friday that “our hearts go out to the family” of Romanch Mahajan.
“Words can’t express the enormity of this tragedy,” Kemp said. “We are taking the first steps towards addressing safety issues.”
Kemp added at a news conference Friday that the union is putting together new safety training protocols with feedback from the horse carriage operators that will be rolled out, and that about 200 carriage owners and drivers will be required to follow.
Horse-drawn carriage usage in Central Park has been a hotly debated topic, with animal rights groups calling for an outright ban on the practice. Mayor Zohran Mamdani has stated that he would work with the city council, the industry and animal welfare advocates to seek to end horse-drawn carriages in the park, promising to “deliver a just transition that protects workers while ending horse-drawn carriages in Central Park once and for all.”
News Agency reached out to Central Park Conservancy, NYCLASS, NYPD, TWU Local 100 and Council Member Chris Marte’s office for additional comment.
