An 18-year-old man was killed Wednesday after a horse-drawn carriage became startled and bolted through New York City‘s Central Park before colliding with another carriage and overturning, according to the Central Park Conservancy.
A New York City Police Department (NYPD) spokesperson told Fox News Digital an “investigation remains ongoing.”
Romanch Mahajan, an 18-year-old tourist visiting NYC from India, suffered the fatal injuries after falling from the carriage during the afternoon incident near Cherry Hill at West 72nd Street and West Drive.
Authorities said a horse-drawn carriage carrying passengers broke free and raced down West Drive before striking another carriage and flipping over near Tavern on the Green.
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PIX11 News previously reported that Mahajan was transported to a local hospital in critical condition following the crash.
“We are absolutely devastated to learn that Romanch Mahajan, the 18-year-old visitor injured in today’s carriage incident, has died,” a Central Park Conservancy spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “On behalf of everyone at the Central Park Conservancy, our deepest condolences go out to his family and loved ones during this unimaginable time.”
Officials have not said what caused the horse to become spooked.
The fatal crash prompted renewed scrutiny of New York City’s horse-drawn carriage industry, with both the union representing carriage drivers and the Central Park Conservancy calling for changes following the incident.
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Alexander Kemp of TWU Local 100, the union representing horse-drawn carriage drivers and owners, said preliminary information alleges the driver may have stepped away from the horse to take a photo before the animal took off.
“It appears the driver was at least at arm’s length from his horse to take a photo of his passengers in the carriage,” Kemp told Fox News Digital in an earlier statement. “This is unacceptable. A driver is not supposed to leave the carriage to take photos – ever.”
The union said it supports a full investigation into the incident and called for enhanced driver training, tougher examinations and additional rules governing the introduction of new horses into the business.
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The Central Park Conservancy, which has long opposed horse-drawn carriages in the park, said Mahajan’s death underscored its concerns about public safety.
“This is the tragedy we feared when we first called last year for horse carriages to be banned from Central Park due to the risks they pose to public safety and public health,” the spokesperson said.
“A young man came to enjoy our park and lost his life. 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.”
The conservancy renewed its call for New York City officials to pass Ryder’s Law, which would ban horse-drawn carriages and provide transitional job placement services for drivers.
“Every day horse carriages are in the park is a day the safety of New Yorkers and visitors is in jeopardy,” the spokesperson said.
According to the conservancy, Wednesday’s crash was the eighth horse-related incident in and around Central Park during the past 13 months.
The incident came just days after a carriage horse named Deniz collapsed and died near West 72nd Street and West Drive while pulling tourists through the park.
Another carriage reportedly overturned in May after a horse became spooked and struck a second carriage.
Fox News Digital has reached to the NYPD and TWU Local 100 for additional comment.
