Overview
- A runaway carriage ejected an 18-year-old tourist and flipped near West 71st–72nd Street on Wednesday, and the victim, identified as Romanch Mahajan, later died at a hospital.
- Union officials and some witnesses say the driver briefly stepped away to take a photo before the horse bolted, and the carriage owner and union have suspended the driver and removed the horse from service.
- The crash follows a June 9 incident in which a carriage horse named Deniz collapsed and a Cornell necropsy publicized by the drivers’ union found the animal had ingested a toxic Japanese yew plant.
- NYPD and city agencies are investigating the June 17 crash and the earlier death, and the incidents have intensified pressure from the Central Park Conservancy and animal‑welfare groups to pass Ryder’s Law.
- The episodes highlight long‑standing safety concerns for roughly 100–150 Central Park carriage horses and drivers and set up near‑term decisions by City Council and the mayor about bans, worker transition plans, and stricter training or oversight.