Horse carriage operations were suspended in Central Park one day after an 18-year-old was thrown to his death following a crash between two carriages.
The Transport Workers Union, which oversees the horse carriage industry, made the announcement on Thursday afternoon.
“We’ve never had a fatal accident like this before. We have shuttered the stables and ceased operations today while we have extensive internal discussions on what transpired and how it could have been prevented,” Alexander Kemp, administrative vice president of TWU Local 100, said in a statement.
The immediate shutdown of Central Park operations comes after the death of Romanch Mahajan, the 18-year-old visiting the city from India with his family. Three other family members, including a child, were also inside the carriage when its horse bolted without a driver on Wednesday morning.
Cell phone video captured the horse sprinting away from its driver, who reportedly stepped out of the carriage to take a photo of his passengers. The horse eventually collided with another horse carriage near Tavern on the Green, sending the carriage full of passengers tumbling to the ground.
Police said Mahajan fell out, smacking his head against the pavement. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but ultimately died from his injuries. Officers said the rest of the family members inside the carriage only had minor injuries.
Kemp said the union was “absolutely gutted and stunned by this tragedy,” and supported a bill introduced before the New York City Council that would require hitching posts be installed throughout the park for drivers to secure their horses.
Wednesday’s incident in Central Park comes one week after a 16-year-old horse named Deniz died from reportedly eating a toxic plant lining the park.
The Central Park Conservancy, which manages the 850-acre park, confirmed that Mahajan’s death is believed to be the first human fatality involving a horse carriage since they were introduced in Central Park more than 150 years ago.
The organization also called for the industry to be suspended until more protections could be put in place, noting that there have now been eight horse-related incidents in Central Park over the past 13 months.
“If any other activity in the Park posed a comparable risk to visitors, it would be suspended immediately while steps were taken to address those dangers,” the organization said in a statement Thursday.
The influential nonprofit revived the pitched debate over the carriages when it weighed in on the issue for the first time last year, throwing its support behind a long-simmering bill that would ban horse carriages and help drivers transition into new jobs.
The organization argued that the carriages are a public safety hazard in the increasingly crowded park, noting that other U.S. cities, including Chicago and San Antonio, have also recently done away with the nostalgic rides.
New York City leaders, meanwhile, vowed to work to put an end to the 150-year-old industry in the wake of Mahajan’s death.
City Council leaders said they’d hold a hearing next month on Ryder’s Law, the bill backed by the conservancy.
“The time to act is now,” Council Speaker Julie Menin posted on the social platform X.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani also reiterated his support for ending the industry, a position he campaigned on last year. He said he’d work with the council, the industry and animal welfare advocates and to “deliver a just transition that protects workers while ending horse-drawn carriages in Central Park once and for all.”
