A vigil in Central Park honors a tourist who died in a horse-drawn carriage accident
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Elected officials and animal welfare advocates will gather for a vigil Monday to honor an 18-year-old tourist who died after falling from a horse-drawn carriage in Central Park last Wednesday.
Romanch Mahajan, who was visiting New York City from India with his family, was seriously injured when the horse became distracted and was cut off. It fell onto West Drive before its trailer overturned after hitting another trailer. Mahajan’s father said his son died trying to save his mother, who fell from the carriage following the impact.
MAN KILLED AFTER HORSE-RUN CHRISTIAN BOARDS AND FLIPS NEAR POPULAR NEW YORK CITY TOURIST DESTINATION
Emergency services gathered near an overturned horse-drawn carriage in Central Park after Romanch Mahajan, 18, was seriously injured when the carriage reportedly collided with another and overturned. (WNYW)
New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets (NYCLASS) announced that they will hold a vigil in honor of Mahajan at the Cherry Hill Fountain near where the incident happened. The organization also announced that the city’s “Ryder Law” will be renamed “Roman Law” in Mahajan’s memory.
Ryder’s Law is a bill that aims to end horse-drawn carriages in NYC. The bill was proposed in 2022 by former New York City Council member Bob Holden after a horse named Ryder fell off the road in Hell’s Kitchen and later died. Council member Chris Marte renewed the call for the bill to be passed after Mahajan’s death, while Council Speaker Julie Menin said a hearing on the bill would take place in July.
“Now is the time to act. The Council recently introduced Ryder’s Law to address longstanding concerns surrounding the horse-drawn carriage industry, and we will hold a hearing on the bill in July. We look forward to hearing from all stakeholders and reviewing measures to address horse welfare and public safety concerns as we work to find a thoughtful solution to this urgent issue.” Menin said in a statement.
A horse-drawn carriage makes its way through Central Park in New York City in 2024. An 18-year-old passenger died on Wednesday after a car that reportedly broke down and overturned in a park. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images, File)
Alexander Kemp, vice president of the Transport Workers Union Local 100, said in a statement Friday that “our hearts go out to the family” of Romanch Mahajan.
“Words cannot express the enormity of this tragedy,” Kemp said. “We are taking the first steps to address security issues.”
Kemp added at a news conference Friday that the union is putting together new safety training policies and feedback from horse-drawn carriage drivers that will be distributed, and that about 200 car owners and drivers will be required to follow.
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The use of horse-drawn carriages in Central Park has been a hotly contested topic, with animal rights groups calling for the practice to be banned altogether. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that she will work with the city council, industry and animal welfare advocates to try to end horse-drawn carriages in the park, promising to “enact appropriate changes that protect workers while ending horse-drawn carriages in Central Park once and for all.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Central Park Conservancy, NYCLASS, NYPD, TWU Local 100 and Council Member Chris Marte’s office for additional comment.
