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4d ago

Central Park Carriage Rides Resume as City Renames Phaseout Bill Romanch’s Law

A July 15 City Council hearing will decide whether to ban or phase out horse-drawn carriages after the union restarted rides under new safety protocols.

Romanch Mahajan, the teen who was killed in Central Park after being tossed from a horse carriage, was seen happily celebrating his high school graduation with his family moments before the incident.
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Overview

  • Rides resumed Tuesday after Transport Workers Union Local 100 paused operations following the June 17 runaway that threw 18-year-old tourist Romanch Mahajan from a carriage and later led to his death.
  • The union retired the horse involved, suspended the driver indefinitely, held refresher training for drivers, and deployed safety teams in the park to provide oversight during the restart.
  • Councilmember Christopher Marte announced renaming the long-standing phaseout measure from Ryder’s Law to Romanch’s Law and City Council Speaker Julie Menin scheduled a hearing for July 15 to consider the proposal.
  • Mahajan’s family and animal-welfare advocates demand an immediate ban and say resuming rides during the family’s grief is unacceptable while the carriage sector argues for retraining, hitching posts, and stricter inspections instead of a ban.
  • Officials and park authorities note a cluster of recent horse-related incidents and pending veterinary necropsies and NYPD reviews that are expected to inform the Council’s decision and any enforcement changes.