{"id":4497,"date":"2026-07-14T22:11:41","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T22:11:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4497"},"modified":"2026-07-14T22:11:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T22:11:41","slug":"exclusive-family-of-teen-tourist-killed-in-nyc-horse-carriage-horror-calls-on-city-council-to-do-the-right-thing-ahead-of-landmark-hearing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4497","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive | Family of teen tourist killed in NYC horse carriage horror calls on City Council to ‘do the right thing’ ahead of landmark hearing"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The family of the teen tourist tragically killed when he was thrown from a horse-drawn carriage in Central Park is urging the City Council to \u201cdo the right thing\u201d and ban the iconic rides ahead of a landmark hearing Wednesday.<\/p>\n

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Hundreds of people have signed up to testify at the hearing over a proposed bill \u2014 re-named \u201cRomanch\u2019s Law\u201d following 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan\u2019s June 16 death \u2014 that would phase out the 160-year-old industry for good.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur beautiful child was senselessly, needlessly taken away from us,\u201d Mahajan\u2019s uncle, Gorav Mahajan, said in a video message sent to City Council Speaker Julie Menin and obtained by The Post Monday night.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis death was entirely preventable. In fact, it could\u2019ve been worse \u2013 we could\u2019ve lost our entire family in that horrific incident.\u201d<\/p>\n

The teen, his parents and his 11-year-old brother had gotten to the Big Apple from India for a dream vacation just three days before the fateful ride in the Manhattan green space, relatives have said.<\/p>\n

The family was posing for a photo, which their horse-carriage driver was taking, when the horse, named Sampson, got spooked and suddenly took off \u2014 sending Mahajan\u2019s mother, Priya, tumbling out first, before the teen fell, too, and was fatally injured.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe remaining members of our family managed to survive, but the next family may not be as lucky,\u201d Gorav Mahajan said in the video.<\/p>\n

The family is now demanding \u201cabsolute accountability,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Formerly known as Ryder\u2019s Law \u2014 after the carriage horse that collapsed, and later died, on city streets in 2022 \u2014 the bill under consideration was first pitched that year by then-Councilman Bob Holden, but it never made it to a vote<\/p>\n

In November, the Council\u2019s health panel refused to advance the bill out of committee despite support from then-Mayor Eric Adams and the Central Park Conservancy.<\/p>\n

The measure was reintroduced for consideration again this year by Councilman Chris Marte, who was set to rally for it outside City Hall ahead of the Wednesday morning hearing \u2014 alongside Mahajan family members, actress Edie Falco and other animal advocates.<\/p>\n

Several of the family members are expected to testify via Zoom from India and Canada, as well as in person.<\/p>\n

The bill would set a two-year timeline to phase out Central Park\u2019s dozens of active licensed horse-carriage drivers to new jobs, Marte said.<\/p>\n

The Transport Workers Union, which reps the hansom cab drivers, blasted the proposed ban as a \u201crecipe for economic disaster for immigrant workers and their families, with the strong potential of harm for the horses themselves,\u201d in a statement over the weekend.<\/p>\n

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While any outright ban on the industry would have to be enacted through Council, former mayors, including Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams. have moved to curb the practice during their tenures.<\/p>\n

Under an 11th-hour executive order from Adams before he left office, carriage horses would\u2019ve been subject to regular veterinary inspections and tests for drugs and injuries.<\/p>\n

That directive was scrapped by Mayor Zohran Mamdani when he took office in January, part of a mass reversal of Adams-era orders by the new administration.<\/p>\n

But Mamdani has said he supports ending the horse-drawn carriage industry, repeating that belief during an unrelated press conference Tuesday, but saying any ban would need to be \u201cin partnership with community leaders [and] labor partners.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe support the spirit of the bill,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are, however, critical of the insufficiencies of the worker protections and we look forward to working with the council to address those concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some 68% of New Yorkers support ending the decades-old practice, according to a survey conducted by the Central Park Conservancy this summer.<\/p>\n

The highly-anticipated Council hearing comes after years of carriage horse deaths and collapses in Central Park. At least four of the horses have died, including Ryder, since 2020 activists say.<\/p>\n

There have been seven industry incidents in the park over the last 13 months, according to the Conservancy \u2014 including in May when a spooked horse charged into another carriage, causing it to overturn and leaving a coachman injured.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Mahajan\u2019s death came just a week after 16-year-old carriage horse Deniz died after eating a toxic plant in Central Park \u2014 and whose owner was flagged for alleged neglect after a city-hired veterinarian made a surprise inspection at nearby stables.<\/p>\n

Adams\u2019 former first deputy mayor, Randy Mastro, who led the admin\u2019s charge against carriage horses, said it was a \u201cmistake\u201d for Mamdani to reverse his predecessor\u2019s order.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey at least should\u2019ve been reviewed on a case-by-case basis,\u201d he told The Post. \u201cIt would\u2019ve been better to see them through, to see full vet exams, and licenses suspended\u201d for bad actors.<\/p>\n

Still, Mastro contended the city was \u201cpoised to see the end of the horse carriage industry, finally\u201d with support from Menin and growing momentum among the governing body.<\/p>\n

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The family of the teen tourist tragically killed when he was thrown from a horse-drawn carriage in Central Park is urging the City Council to “do the right thing” and ban the iconic rides ahead of a landmark hearing Wednesday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4496,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro"],"yoast_head":"\nExclusive | Family of teen tourist killed in NYC horse carriage horror calls on City Council to 'do the right thing' ahead of landmark hearing - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4497\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Exclusive | Family of teen tourist killed in NYC horse carriage horror calls on City Council to 'do the right thing' ahead of landmark hearing - 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