Indian teen’s death could lead to ban on 150-year-old horse carriages in New York
Romanch Mahajan, 18, was on his first trip to New York with his family when the incident took place on Wednesday
The death of an Indian teenager during a horse-drawn carriage ride in New York City in the US has reignited a debate and intensified calls for a ban on the 150-year-old attraction.
The teenager died while trying to save his mother, who was thrown from the horse-drawn carriage after the horse suddenly bolted at the famous Central Park.
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Romanch Mahajan, 18, was on his first trip to New York with his family when the incident took place on Wednesday (June 17), The New York Times reported.
The driver stopped to take a family picture, and in an instant, the horse bolted. It tore up onto the sidewalk and bumped onto the grass, accelerating crazily, the driver racing behind, the report added.
8 horse-related incidents
The accident immediately led to renewed calls to ban the carriages from the park. There are more than 100 carriage horses in Manhattan.
“We cannot allow this to be treated as another isolated incident,” City Councilman Christopher Marte, who has introduced a Bill to ban carriages at the end of next year, said in a statement.
"The Council must act with the urgency this tragedy demands,” Marte was quoted as saying by the report.
The Central Park Conservancy said that there had been eight “horse-related incidents” in or near the park since May 2025, including one last month where a horse hit another carriage and caused it to tip over.
First person to die in horse carriage accident
Mahajan is believed to be the first person to die in a horse carriage accident since they were introduced in Central Park more than 150 years ago, according to the labour union representing the industry and the Central Park Conservancy, which manages the 843-acre park, Associated Press (AP) reported.
“The record is undeniable: crashes, runaways, horse deaths, injuries, and now a devastating loss of human life,” Edita Birnkrant, head of the animal welfare group New Yorkers for Clean, Liveable, and Safe Streets, was quoted as saying in the report.
PETA, others call for ban
Animal rights organisation PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has also called for a ban on horse carriages, urging New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin to fast-track Ryder's Law and ban horse carriages in New York City. It cited deaths of horses and cruelty towards animals.
According to PETA, in 2022, an emaciated horse named Ryder collapsed on a busy New York City street, likely due to illness and heat exhaustion. The proposed legislation to ban horse carriages is named after the deceased horse Ryder.
“Horses are not machines. They are individuals—social beings who deserve to live on their own terms, not haul strangers through traffic. PETA has joined NYCLASS and other local advocates to demand the city end this exploitation, but these horses can no longer wait,” PETA said.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also reiterated his support for ending the industry, saying he’d work with the council, the industry and animal welfare advocates to “deliver a just transition that protects workers while ending horse-drawn carriages in Central Park once and for all”, reported AP.
What is Ryder’s Law?
According to The New York City Council, Ryder’s Law is a local law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to prohibiting the operation of horse drawn cabs.
This Bill would wind down the horse-drawn cab industry by prohibiting the issuance of new licenses used in the operation of horse-drawn cabs. The operation of such cabs would be prohibited beginning June 1, 2026.
This Bill would require humane disposition of carriage horses, prohibiting their sale or transfer for the purposes of slaughter or use in another horse-drawn cab business. This Bill would require the department of consumer and worker protection to administer a workforce development program for drivers and other workers engaged in the horse drawn cab industry in order to facilitate their transition to other fields of employment.