On June 17, 2026, at approximately 2:45 pm, a horse-drawn carriage accident occurred near 71st and 72nd Street close to the Cherry Hill area of Central Park in Manhattan, New York City [1, 2, 3, 4]. The carriage was carrying four passengers, including 18-year-old Indian tourist Romanch Mahajan [1, 4, 5, 6].
The accident happened after the horse pulling the carriage, named Sampson and about seven years old, became startled when the driver stepped off the carriage to take pictures of the passengers [1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 6, 9, 10]. The frightened horse bolted uncontrollably at high speed, causing the carriage to collide with another carriage and overturn near the Tavern on the Green restaurant [1, 4, 8, 6, 10].
Mahajan was thrown from the carriage during the crash and suffered fatal head injuries. He was taken to Weill Cornell Medical Center where he was pronounced dead [1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 5, 6, 9, 11, 10]. The mother of the 18-year-old was also thrown from the carriage but survived with minor injuries [4, 5, 10]. The horse, Sampson, was not injured but was retired from service following the accident [4, 5, 10].
The name of the carriage driver has not been publicly released. The driver has been suspended indefinitely by the carriage company [4, 5, 6, 10]. Alexander Kemp, Vice President of the Transport Workers Union Local 100, said, "It appears the driver was at least at arm's length from his horse to take a photo of his passengers in the carriage. This is unacceptable. A driver is not supposed to leave the carriage to take photos – ever." He also stated the union supports a full investigation into the incident [5, 6].
The accident occurred about one week after a 16-year-old Central Park horse named Deniz died from poisoning caused by ingestion of Japanese yew on June 10, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 11]. The Central Park Conservancy and animal rights advocates urged a ban on horse carriage operations in Central Park citing safety and animal welfare concerns. A spokesperson said the industry posed risks to tourists, drivers, and the horses themselves and called on the city to prohibit the operation [1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 5, 6, 9, 11, 10].
Industry representatives and some union members said these incidents were isolated and opposed a complete ban on horse carriage operations [1, 2, 3, 7, 5]. New York City Council member Christopher Marte proposed legislation to ban horse-drawn carriages in Central Park by the end of 2027. Marte said the accident should not be seen as isolated [4, 5]. City Council Speaker Julie Menin announced the council will review the proposed ban in July 2026 [4, 5]. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani also expressed support for removing horse carriages from the park [8, 11].
More than 100 horses currently serve carriage operations in Manhattan [4, 5]. The council's July discussions will determine whether legislation will proceed to ban the traditional horse carriages from Central Park starting next year.
