Grieving parents say failed carriage ban law in NYC could have saved their son
Deepak Mahajan listens as his video statement is played for the New York City Council, saying their son would still be alive if lawmakers had passed a horse-drawn carriage ban last year. (WNYW)
New York City's iconic horse-drawn carriages could disappear from Central Park under an agreement reached Tuesday between Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council speaker Julie Menin, setting the stage for a vote to eliminate the historic industry.
The agreement would ban horse-drawn carriage operations beginning June 1, 2028, if approved by the City Council on Oct. 22, ending a longtime tourist attraction amid concerns over animal welfare and public safety.
The proposed legislation, known as Romanch's Law — named after 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan, who suffered fatal injuries in a horse-drawn carriage crash in June — would require city officials to develop a transition plan for carriage drivers, owners and stable workers, though financial compensation would not be guaranteed.
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A horse-drawn carriage travels through Central Park in New York City in 2024. An 18-year-old passenger was killed in June after a carriage reportedly bolted and overturned in the park. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
"The horse carriage industry is coming to an end in New York City. Our administration will make sure workers and owners are protected, and the horses are safe," Mamdani wrote on X.
Animal rights group PETA celebrated the agreement after years of campaigning against the carriage industry.
"This is long overdue, and it can't come quickly enough," PETA representative Ashley Byrne told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview Tuesday.
Byrne cited incidents involving horses collapsing in city streets and colliding with vehicles, and said more than 70% of New Yorkers support a ban, a figure Fox News Digital has not independently verified.
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Emergency responders gather around an overturned horse-drawn carriage in Central Park after 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan was fatally injured when the carriage reportedly collided with another carriage and flipped over in June. (WNYW)
The Central Park Conservancy also welcomed the agreement, emphasizing public safety.
"We applaud the City Council for finally taking on this issue. For the Central Park Conservancy, this has always been a matter of public safety. We hope carriages can be phased out efficiently and humanely so that no one else ever suffers the fate of Romanch Mahajan," Conservancy President and CEO Betsy Smith said.
But the Transport Workers Union sharply criticized the agreement, accusing city leaders of failing to provide meaningful financial protections for workers and carriage owners.
"Council Speaker Menin's bill has no meaningful economic relief for workers," TWU International President John Samuelsen said in a statement. "It only says the city should prepare a worker transition plan by April 2027 and include weak measures like job fairs and job counseling."
Samuelsen also accused Menin of exploiting the June death of 18-year-old tourist Romanch Mahajan to advance the ban.
Julie Menin, speaker of the New York City Council. (John Lamparski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"Council Speaker Menin used the tragic death of a tourist to contrive a public safety crisis. This is disgraceful political opportunism, and Zohran should not simply go along with it, particularly when immigrant families' livelihoods are being destroyed," he said.
Under the legislation, city agencies would have until April 1, 2027, to develop a workforce transition plan that includes job placement, career counseling, training and referrals to other transportation and tourism jobs. Officials would also have to consider compensation for carriage owners and assistance with retiring horses, but no payouts are guaranteed.
"We have been working closely with the City Council, union partners, carriage drivers, animal welfare advocates and community leaders to deliver a just transition that protects workers while ending horse-drawn carriages in Central Park once and for all," City Hall spokesperson Sneha Choudhary said.
Tow truck workers load an overturned horse-drawn carriage from the fatal accident near Tavern on the Green, June 17, in Manhattan, N.Y. (TNS)
Fox News Digital reached out to Transport Workers Union Local 100, which represents carriage drivers and owners, for comment.
Menin, who would be the first sitting City Council speaker to support the legislation, according to the Council, said the city must balance tradition with public safety and workers' livelihoods.
"We can honor our city's traditions while recognizing when it's time to move forward in the interest of public safety, protecting workers, and strengthening our city's economic vitality," Menin said.
The legislation follows the June death of Mahajan, a tourist from India who suffered fatal injuries after a horse-drawn carriage bolted, collided with another carriage and overturned in Central Park.
"The tragic and preventable death of 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan made clear that the status quo is no longer acceptable," Menin said.
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The Central Park Conservancy previously reported that the fatal crash was the eighth horse-related incident in or around the park in approximately 13 months. Days earlier, a carriage horse named Deniz reportedly collapsed and died while pulling tourists.
Following Mahajan's death, TWU Local 100 called for tougher driver examinations, enhanced training and additional safety regulations rather than an outright ban.
Mamdani's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.
