3 min readNew DelhiJun 18, 2026 12:21 PM IST
First published on: Jun 18, 2026 at 12:21 PM IST
An 18-year-old tourist from India died in an accident during a horse-drawn carriage ride in New York City’s Central Park.
According to The New York Times, Romanch Mahajan was visiting the city with his parents and younger brother on Tuesday, June 16, when the family decided to take a carriage ride through the park. During the trip, Romanch asked the driver to take a family photograph, prompting the driver to stop the carriage.
Romanch’s father, Deepak Mahajan, told The New York Times that as the driver stepped away to capture the picture, the horse, identified as Sampson, suddenly bolted. The driver chased after the moving carriage, but amid the chaos, Romanch’s mother, Priya, fell out.
Deepak said Romanch tried to help her and ended up falling from the carriage himself, hitting his head on the pavement. “We were yelling, ‘Help me, help me!’ ” Deepak told The New York Times.
He said Romanch had been calling out for his mother after she fell. “My son, just to save his mother, fell off.”
The situation escalated when the runaway carriage collided with another carriage and overturned.
Romanch was rushed to New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he died from his injuries the following day, June 17, according to The New York Times.
Following the accident, Alexander Kemp, administrative vice-president of New York’s public transit union, Transport Workers Union (TWU Local 100), expressed grief over the teenager’s death. Speaking to ABC 7 New York, Kemp described the driver’s conduct as “unacceptable” and said the carriage owner had indefinitely suspended him.
He also confirmed that Sampson, the seven-year-old horse working in the park for only six weeks, would be retired. The horse was not injured.
The Central Park Conservancy also extended its condolences to the Mahajan family on June 17. “A young man came to enjoy our park and lost his life. That is not an acceptable cost of an antiquated industry operating in the middle of one of the most heavily used public spaces in America,” the organisation said.
The Conservancy renewed its support for Ryder’s Law, a proposed measure that would ban horse-drawn carriages in New York City while helping carriage drivers transition to other jobs.
The accident came just days after another horse-related incident in Central Park. A 16-year-old carriage horse named Deniz collapsed and died during a ride last week. According to TWU Local 100, the horse likely died after ingesting the highly toxic Japanese yew plant.
Romanch was rushed to New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he died from his injuries the following day 
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