NEW YORK — A teen tourist visiting New York City with his family died on Wednesday after being thrown to the ground when a Central Park carriage horse galloped away from its driver, authorities said.
Romanch Mahajan, 18, died from his injuries at a New York hospital, The New York Times reported. Other members of his family who were on the carriage escaped with minor injuries, according to the newspaper.
The carriage toppled over after the horse bolted, clipping another carriage in the park and shattering.
An 18-year-old tourist from India died in a fall from a horse-drawn carriage in Central Park after the horse bolted. https://t.co/9FAV5HUJGc
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 18, 2026
A representative for the Transport Workers Union, which represents carriage industry employees, said the driver had dismounted from the carriage to take a photograph of the passengers, The Associated Press reported. This was an action that he was not supposed to do, the representative said.
The driver had stopped near a fountain at Cherry Hill in the park to take a family portrait, the teen’s father, Deepak Mahajan, told the Times. The family came to New York from India and was visiting the United States for the first time, the newspaper reported.
The horse bolted and the carriage bumped onto the grass at about 2:45 p.m. ET, with the driver in frantic pursuit.
“We were yelling, ‘Help me, help me!” Deepak Mahajan told the newspaper.
When Priya Mahajan fell out of the carriage, Romanch jumped out in an attempt to help his mother, the Times reported.
“It happened so quickly they didn’t have a chance to think about running or getting out of there,” Ron Pobuda, who witnessed the incident, told WABC.
The teen hit his head on the sidewalk and was injured, according to the newspaper. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition and later died.
“We are devastated that a passenger died after injuries suffered today in the accident in Central Park, and our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family,” the Transport Workers Union said in a statement.
The driver of the carriage was indefinitely suspended by the union, WNYW reported. The horse that was pulling the carriage will be retired from service, according to the television station.
The horse, named Sampson, had been in the park for only six weeks, Alexander Kemp, the administrative vice president of the union’s local chapter, told the AP.
“Safety in the park has been a growing concern among many, and improvements are needed to be made with respect to all vehicles, including e-bicycles, delivery vehicles, pedicabs, and horse-drawn carriages,” Kemp said in a statement, according to WABC.
The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) called for the city to eliminate horse-drawn carriages in the city, WNYW reported.
“From collapsing horses, to careening carriages, how many more disasters have to strike before we get these beleaguered horses out of the park?” PETA said in a statement.
An investigation is ongoing, union officials said.
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