18-year-old man dies after falling from Central Park horse carriage
An 18-year-old tourist died Wednesday after falling from a runaway horse carriage in Central Park, police said.
Police confirmed the death to New York City ABC station WABC, which reported the man was visiting the city with his family.
The Central Park Conservancy identified the victim as Romanch Mahajan.
The Transport Workers Union of America, the union representing the carriage horse drivers, said in a statement the carriage driver was "at least at arm’s length from his horse to take a photo of his passengers in the carriage," when the horse took off "for unknown reasons."
The carriage clipped the wheel of another carriage and toppled, according to TWU Local 100 Administrative Vice President Alexander Kemp.
Mahajan was transported to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center after he fell from the horse around 2:47 p.m., police said. He later succumbed to his injuries, according to police
The horse had only been in the park six weeks, Kemp said. An investigation is ongoing.
Kemp said drivers are not supposed to leave the carriage to take photos and said the union supports a "full investigation."
The carriage owner has suspended the driver indefinitely, and the horse will be retired from the business, Kemp said.
No other persons were injured, according to the police. The status of the horse was not immediately known.
The Central Park Conservancy offered its condolences to Mahajan's family and repeated its calls to ban horse-drawn carriages in the park.
"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 said in a statement.
Wednesday's incident took place eight days after another horse died in the park while carrying passengers.
On June 9, another horse, Deniz, that was carrying two passengers and a driver, collapsed and died during a ride in the park near East 90th Street. None of the people in the carriage were seriously injured.
A necropsy released Tuesday by TWU revealed that before it died, the horse ate a Japanese yew, an ornamental plant that is toxic and deadly to horses, that was along the curb.
TWU pushed back against calls from the conservancy and other groups to ban horse carriages from the park.
Prior to Wednesday's incident, there have been seven carriage-horse-related incidents in the last 13 months within the park's vicinity, including one in January where a horse dashed into traffic and crashed into cars, according to the Central Park Conservancy.
Kemp said in a statement the union supported some reforms, including "enhanced driving training, tougher examinations with a practical component demonstrating proficiency, and rules governing the introduction of new horses into the business."
The statement added: "Thousands upon thousands of rides are taken without incident, but steps must be taken to prevent accidents like this," he added.
New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Councilmember Lynn Schulman released a statement saying, "Today’s tragic death of a teenager following an incident involving a horse carriage in Central Park is horrific and heartbreaking. Our thoughts are with the victim’s loved ones and everyone affected by this devastating loss."
The councilmembers said they recently introduced Ryder’s Law to address "longstanding concerns surrounding the horse carriage industry."
There will be a hearing on the bill in July, they said.
ABC News' Jason Volack, Matt Foster and Benjamin Stein contributed to this report.
