Overview
- An 18-year-old visitor from India, Romanch Mahajan, was killed when a carriage horse bolted on June 17 and the carriage overturned, investigators say the driver briefly left the seat to take photos before the horse ran.
- Transport Workers Union Local 100 instructed drivers to pause passenger rides and began mandatory refresher training in Central Park focused on driver positioning, pacing limits, tethering and animal care.
- The carriage driver involved has been suspended and the 7-year-old horse, Sampson, was retired while the NYPD and other agencies continue investigations into the crash.
- Councilmember Chris Marte announced renaming the existing Ryder’s Law proposal to Romanch’s Law and a City Council hearing on the measure is scheduled in July to consider a phased phaseout versus a regulatory reform alternative.
- Advocates cite a recent necropsy showing a carriage horse named Deniz died after ingesting toxic plant material and a string of incidents over the past year as evidence the city must choose between ending the industry or enforcing stricter safety and welfare rules.