Overview
- An 18-year-old tourist, Romanch Mahajan, died after falling from a horse-drawn carriage when the horse bolted on June 17 and the city medical examiner ruled the death accidental from blunt force trauma.
- The Transport Workers Union Local 100 voluntarily halted passenger rides for a safety stand-down and refresher training while carriage owners suspended the driver identified as Ertan Gokdepe and retired the horse named Sampson.
- NYPD and city medical and veterinary reviews are ongoing and officials say their findings will inform safety rules and potential legal action.
- City Council leaders have scheduled a July hearing on Ryder’s Law, a proposal to phase out carriage operations with job-transition help, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani has voiced support for ending the practice with a just transition for workers.
- The crash follows a string of recent incidents including a June 9 horse death and eight horse-related events over 13 months, fueling a long-running debate between advocates for a ban and the industry’s call for tighter training, hitching posts, and on-site enforcement.