A driver had not yet boarded when a horse bolted in Central Park.
A carriage driver had not yet boarded when a horse bolted at Cherry Hill, and 18-year-old passenger Romanch Mahajan later died after hitting his head while trying to help his mother.
Reported by press, not yet linked to NYC police crash records. This may change when new official records become available or when matching details are reviewed.
Location under review.
What We Know
An August 15, 2026, Daily News report says the incident occurred on June 17; the year is inferred from the article's publication context. The report says the family had boarded after a photo was taken but before the driver boarded, when the horse bolted from a standstill at Cherry Hill. Mahajan, 18, jumped after his mother was thrown from the carriage, hit his head and died from his injuries. Early reports differ about the driver's position and whether Mahajan fell before or during the carriage overturn. The reason the horse bolted remains unresolved.
The horse bolted before the driver boarded.
An August 15, 2026, Daily News report says the incident occurred on June 17; the year is inferred from the article's publication context. It says the family had climbed into the carriage after a photo was taken and before the driver boarded, when the horse bolted from a standstill at Cherry Hill.
That report says Romanch Mahajan, 18, jumped after his mother was thrown from the carriage, hit his head and later died from his injuries. The account says he died in his mother's arms; June coverage said he was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Early accounts differ about the driver's position. June reports said he had stepped out to take the family photo, while the August Daily News account says the photo had already been taken and he had not yet boarded. Reports also differ on whether Mahajan fell before the carriage overturned or as it overturned. The Post, citing the union, reported that the carriage toppled after wheel-to-wheel contact with another carriage.
Reports place the crash at different points in Central Park.
The August Daily News report locates the horse's departure at Cherry Hill. An earlier Daily News account placed the crash near Cherry Hill and Bethesda Fountain; West Side Spirit described the scene around West 71st Street and Center Drive, while NBC placed the carriage collision near Tavern on the Green. The reports do not establish one precise point.
Mahajan was on a family graduation trip.
Mahajan was visiting from India with his parents and younger brother to celebrate his high school graduation. His father told the New York Times, as reported by the Daily News, that Mahajan learned after arriving in New York that he had been accepted to Manipal University Jaipur. Before the carriage ride, the family visited the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty and the 9/11 memorial.
The reason the horse bolted remains unresolved.
In August, the Daily News reported that the family's attorneys filed a notice of claim ahead of a planned $105 million lawsuit, alleging stray voltage may have contributed to the crash. The report said Con Edison had detected minimal stray voltage in the area in recent weeks, but that no direct evidence linked an electrical jolt to the horse's flight.
The crash prompted a pause and renewed calls for a ban.
TWU Local 100 suspended carriage rides after the crash while reviewing safety procedures, and drivers later took refresher training. Mahajan's family urged city leaders to end the rides; CBS reported that the City Council held a July hearing on the proposed Romanch's Law.