The Consulate General of India in New York has expressed condolences over the death of an 18-year-old Indian tourist who died after suffering injuries in a horse carriage incident in Central Park.
Romanch Mahajan was on his first trip to New York with his family when the incident took place on Wednesday, according to The New York Times.
In a post on X, the Consulate General of India in New York said it was “deeply saddened” by Mahajan's "untimely demise”.
Mahajan, an Indian national, "tragically lost his life following a fall from a horse carriage in Central Park, New York.
“Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with his family during this difficult time. The Consulate is in touch with the family and is extending all possible assistance and support,” it said.
Following Mahajan's death, the Central Park Conservancy said in a statement that it was “absolutely devastated” to learn of the young man's death.
“On behalf of everyone at the Central Park Conservancy, our deepest condolences go out to his family and loved ones during this unimaginable time,” it said.
The Conservancy, which has been entrusted by the City of New York with the day-to-day care of the public park, said “this is the tragedy we feared when we first called last year for horse carriages to be banned from Central Park due to the risks they pose to public safety and public health".
“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.
The Conservancy renewed its call for New York City to pass Ryder's Law, which would ban horse carriages and provide transitional job placement services for drivers.
“Every day horse carriages are in the park is a day the safety of New Yorkers and visitors is in jeopardy,” it said.
There have now been eight horse-related incidents in Central Park over the past 13 months.
According to The New York Times, the carriage driver had stopped to take a family photograph when the horse suddenly bolted. The horse ran onto the pavement and across the grass, gathering speed as the driver chased behind.
"We were yelling, 'Help me, help me!" Deepak Mahajan, Romanch's father, said.
The family held onto one another, but when Deepak's wife, Priya, fell from the carriage, Romanch jumped down to help her, he said.
"My son, just to save his mother, he fell off," said Deepak. "He was screaming, 'Mom!'"
"The horse got scared and ran superfast," Tatianna Bresler, who works at the Tavern on the Green, told The New York Post.
Bresler, who called 911 after seeing the crash and hearing screams, said a witness managed to slow the horse before the carriage overturned.
Romanch hit his head on the ground and lay still.
He died on Wednesday night at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Centre, The New York Times reported.
His father, mother and younger brother suffered minor injuries. Their carriage also struck another carriage before overturning and breaking apart, the report said.
The accident is the latest in a series of incidents involving carriage horses.
The union representing carriage drivers said the incident should not have happened.
"It appears the driver was at least at arm's length from his horse," Alexander Kemp, a vice president of the union, Transport Workers Union Local 100, said in a statement.
"This is unacceptable. A driver is not supposed to leave the carriage to take photos - ever. We support a full investigation."
Kemp said the driver, whose name was not immediately released, has been suspended indefinitely by the carriage's owner.
The incident has renewed calls to ban horse-drawn carriages from Central Park. There are more than 100 carriage horses in Manhattan.
"We cannot allow this to be treated as another isolated incident," City Councilman Christopher Marte, who has introduced a bill to ban carriages at the end of next year, said in a statement.
"The Council must act with the urgency this tragedy demands," Marte was quoted as saying by the report.
