Driver's position disputed in fatal Central Park carriage crash
Driver Ertan Gokdepe's position is disputed: an August 15, 2026, Daily News account places the horse's bolt on June 17 at Cherry Hill, with the year inferred from publication context, before he boarded; passenger Romanch Mahajan, 18, later died after a head injury.
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
Driver Ertan Gokdepe's position when the horse bolted remains disputed: June reports say he stepped away to photograph the family, while an August 15, 2026, Daily News account says the photo was already taken and he had not yet boarded. That report places the incident on June 17; 2026 is inferred from its publication context. Mahajan, 18, suffered a head injury and died; his father said he fell while trying to help his mother, while reports differ about whether he fell before or during the overturn and where he died. His family's attorneys later alleged stray voltage may have contributed, but the Daily News reported no direct evidence linking an electrical jolt to the horse's flight.
The reports disagree about the photo stop and the fall.
A Daily News report published August 15, 2026, places the incident on June 17; the year is inferred from that publication context. It says the family boarded after a photo had been taken and before the driver boarded, when the horse bolted from a standstill at Cherry Hill. June accounts instead say driver Ertan Gokdepe stepped away to photograph the family; one Post report says he tried to restrain the horse when it began inching forward.
An initial Daily News account described different reports about Mahajan's fall: one said he was in the carriage when it overturned, while another said he fell before it went over. The Post, citing the union, reported that the carriage made contact with another carriage's wheel before it toppled. At a City Council hearing, Mahajan's father said his wife fell and Romanch fell while trying to help her.
June reports said Mahajan suffered a head injury and died at a hospital. An August Daily News account instead said he died in his mother's arms a short time after the fall. ABC7 reported that a medical examiner ruled the cause of death blunt force trauma and the manner accidental.
Reports place the crash at different points in Central Park.
Reports place the crash in Central Park but differ on the precise point. The August Daily News account locates the horse's departure at Cherry Hill; June reports place the scene near Cherry Hill and Bethesda Fountain, around West 71st Street and Center Drive, or near Tavern on the Green.
The family had stopped to see the Cherry Hill fountain, just west of Bethesda Fountain, during its sightseeing ride, according to the Daily News.
Mahajan's trip was a family graduation celebration.
Mahajan, 18, 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. The family also visited the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty and the 9/11 memorial.
At a July memorial near Cherry Hill, relatives placed candles, fruit and flowers and recited Sikh and Hindu prayers. Mahajan's parents joined by videoconference.
The trigger for the horse's bolt remains unresolved.
In August, the Daily News reported that attorneys for Mahajan's family had filed a notice of claim ahead of a planned 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 led to an investigation, a ride pause and calls for change.
On June 18, the Daily News reported that police were investigating and had interviewed the driver; no charges had been filed at that time. The Post later reported that the driver had been suspended.
The union suspended passenger rides and held refresher training. Mahajan's family called for a ban on carriage rides, while the union advocated safety changes including hitching posts.
The City Council held a July hearing on Romanch's Law, the proposed carriage phaseout named in Mahajan's memory. His parents addressed the hearing remotely. An August Daily News report said 28 of 51 council members had signed on as co-sponsors and the bill remained under environmental review.