Indian teen dies saving mother after Central Park carriage runs amok

Romanch Mahajan died after leaping from a runaway Central Park carriage to help his mother. The tragedy has intensified scrutiny of horse-drawn carriage safety in New York.

In Short

• The family was visiting New York for the first time together
• The horse bolted after the driver stopped to take a photograph
• A witness slowed the runaway horse before the carriage flipped over

An Indian teenager died in New York City after he tried to save his mother when a horse-drawn carriage went out of control in Central Park, according to a media report. Romanch Mahajan, 18, was on his first trip to New York with his family when the incident took place on Wednesday.

The New York Times reported that the horse suddenly bolted after the driver stopped to take a family photograph. The carriage went onto the sidewalk and then onto the grass at speed, with the driver running behind it, as the family tried to hold on.

Deepak Mahajan, Romanch’s father, said, “We were yelling, ‘Help me, help me!’” He said the family clung to one another, but when his wife Priya fell out of the carriage, Romanch jumped down to help her. “My son, just to save his mother, he fell off,” Deepak said. “He was screaming, ‘Mom!’”

Tatianna Bresler, who works at the Tavern on the Green, told The New York Post, “The horse got scared and ran super fast.” Bresler, who called 911 after seeing the crash and hearing screams, said a witness was able to slow the runaway horse before the carriage flipped. Romanch hit his head on the ground and lay still. He died on Wednesday night at NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Centre, the report said.

The rest of the family — his father, mother and younger brother — suffered minor injuries. The report said the carriage also clipped another carriage before toppling over and breaking into pieces.

The accident is the latest in a series of mishaps involving carriage horses. Alexander Kemp, vice-president of Transport Workers Union Local 100, which represents carriage drivers, said in a statement, “It appears the driver was at least at arm’s length from his horse. This is unacceptable. A driver is not supposed to leave the carriage to take photos - ever. We support a full investigation.” He added that the driver, whose name was not immediately released, had been suspended indefinitely by the carriage owner.

The incident also led to fresh calls to ban horse-drawn carriages from the park, where there are more than 100 carriage horses in Manhattan. City Councilman Christopher Marte, who has introduced a bill to ban the carriages at the end of next year, said, “We cannot allow this to be treated as another isolated incident.” He added, “The Council must act with the urgency this tragedy demands.” The park conservancy said there had been eight “horse-related incidents” in or near the park since May 2025, including one last month in which a horse hit another carriage and caused it to tip over.

Romanch Mahajan died after getting off a runaway carriage to help his mother during his family’s first visit to New York, while the incident has also renewed scrutiny of horse-drawn carriages in Central Park.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends