On Cam: Indian-Origin Teen Dies After Fall From Horse-Drawn Carriage In New York

Last Updated:June 18, 2026, 12:05 IST

An Indian teenager died after falling from a horse-drawn carriage in New York's Central Park, when the horse bolted. Central Park's Carriage industry faces heat and calls for ban.

A teenager died in New York’s Central Park after falling from a horse-drawn carriage when the horse pulling it bolted away, according to an Associated Press report. The tragic accident was caught on camera.

The accident, which happened around 3 pm when the deceased, an 18-year-old, was riding the carriage with three other people. Two of them were also thrown out of the careening cab.

Videos of the incident have emerged on social media. One of them shows the horse of the carriage sprinting away through the park as the two people appeared to jump out from it. In another video, the cab is seen getting toppled after it clips the wheels of another carriage on the park’s busy loop.

The teenager succumbed to his injuries after being taken to the hospital in critical condition. The other people on board the carriage refused medical treatment, according to the report.

The teenager was identified as Romanch Mahajan in a New York Times report. He was in the park with his family. It was their first trip to New York from India, the report noted.

The driver of the carriage had dismounted to take a picture of his passengers. They are not supposed to do that, a representative of the Transport Workers’ Union was quoted as saying by AP.

Alexander Kemp, who is the administrative vice president of the union’s local chapter, said that the horse had been in the park for only six weeks. He has called for a full investigation.

“Safety in the park has been a growing concern among many, and improvements are needed to be made with respect to all vehicles, including e-bicycles, delivery vehicles, pedicabs, and horse-drawn carriages," he said, as quoted in the report.

Details have emerged from the New York Times report. Romanch apparently died after getting hit in the head when he jumped out of the carriage in an attempt to save his mother as she was falling out of the carriage.

“We were yelling, ‘Help me, help me!" said Deepak Mahajan, the father of the young man, as quoted by the Times.

The family was clinging on to the carriage. However, when the deceased’s mother, Priya, lost her grip and went flying out, he jumped to save her.

That is when he got fatally hurt on the head.

“My son, just to save his mother, he fell off," his father said.

Carriage Industry Faces Heat

Central Park’s 150-year-old horse-drawn carriage industry is in a tough spot. The rides offer tourists and park-goers the experience of a bygone era of the city. It remains an attraction and serves as a romantic reminder of the past.

The industry also provides hundreds of jobs to drivers and others in ranches from where these horses come.

However, critics have been advocating for a ban as they say it is not just a danger to the city and its residents but also inhumane for the horses.

This incident, leading to the teenager’s death, comes not long after another. Last week, a horse had collapsed in the park and died.

These back-to-back events should lead to a ban on the industry in Central Park, said Central Park Conservancy, a non-profit organisation. Last summer, they had come out advocating for a ban on the industry.

“A young man came to enjoy our park and lost his life," they said in a statement. “That is not an acceptable cost of an antiquated industry operating in the middle of one of the most heavily used public spaces in America."

Central Park is nearly 850 acres and attracts millions of people every year.

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