Erik Bottcher has released a statement after an 18-year-old tourist died following a horse-drawn carriage incident in Central Park.
The teenager, identified in multiple reports as Romanch Mahajan, was riding in a carriage with three other passengers on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, when the horse bolted away from its driver shortly before 3 p.m. Police said at least two passengers were thrown from the carriage, and Mahajan was taken to hospital in critical condition before later dying.
According to police and union officials, the driver had stepped off the carriage to take a photo of the passengers, which carriage drivers are not supposed to do. Transport Workers Union Local 100 said the horse had been working in Central Park for only six weeks.
Officials have said the case remains under investigation.
In the aftermath of the fatal incident, Bottcher shared a public response.
“I am heartbroken by the tragic death of an 18-year-old visitor who lost his life after falling from a horse-drawn carriage in Central Park,” he wrote.
“My thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this unimaginably difficult time.”
Bottcher continued by linking the crash to broader concerns about carriage safety in the park.
“This tragedy comes just days after another carriage horse collapsed and died in Central Park, and only weeks after yet another carriage crash injured a driver. These incidents are a painful reminder that horse-drawn carriages do not belong in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world.
“The New York City Council must act and pass Ryder’s Law. As a member of the City Council, I was a prime co-sponsor of this legislation because I believed then, as I do now, that continuing to place horses, carriage drivers, passengers, cyclists, and pedestrians in these situations creates unacceptable risks. The status quo is failing both people and animals.”
Ryder’s Law was introduced after the death of an older horse named Ryder. The Animal Legal Defense Fund said he was “emaciated” and had been made to pull a carriage in hot conditions.
Ryder collapsed on a street in August 2022 and died several months later.
The latest push to ban horse-drawn cabs in New York City was reintroduced in the City Council on June 11, 2026, as Int. No. 943, and was referred to committee. A separate, less sweeping bill, Int. No. 937, was also introduced the same day. The Central Park Conservancy has also recently renewed its calls for change after another carriage horse died in the park earlier in June.
A similar incident was reported again this month, when a horse collapsed and died in the park, according to the New York Post.
Bottcher added:
“For years, advocates have warned that it was only a matter of time before another serious injury or loss of life occurred. Today, those warnings have become a devastating reality.
“New York City can honor its history while embracing safer, more humane alternatives. The City Council should bring Ryder’s Law to a vote without delay and finally bring an end to the horse-drawn carriage industry in New York City.”