18-year-old dies after horse carriage overturns in Central Park
A young man died after he was thrown from a horse carriage that overturned in Central Park on Wednesday.
It happened just after 2:45 p.m. near West 67th Street.
Passenger thrown from carriage
Officials said a family of four was in the carriage when the horse got spooked and took off. Police said some passengers jumped out and were not hurt.
Alexander Kemp, administrative vice president for TWU Local 100, the union representing horse carriage drivers, said it appears the driver had gotten out of the carriage to take a photo of the passengers and "was at least at arm's length from his horse."
Video shows the horse attached to the carriage running off, causing the carriage to rock onto two wheels at times. A man who appears to be the carriage driver runs after the horse.
Kemp said the carriage eventually clipped the wheel of another carriage and overturned. Video from a second location captured the moment the carriages collided.
An 18-year-old man was thrown from the carriage and taken to a local hospital in critical condition. He was pronounced dead a few hours later.
Police sources tell CBS News New York the 18-year-old and his family are tourists from India.
Driver suspended, horse retired
"We are devastated that a passenger died after injuries suffered today in the accident in Central Park, and our thoughts and prayers are with the victim's family," Kemp said in a statement. "Safety in the park has been a growing concern among many, and improvements are needed to be made with respect to all vehicles, including e-bicycles, delivery vehicles, pedicabs, and horse-drawn carriages."
According to the union, the carriage owner has suspended the driver indefinitely and plans to retire the horse.
Earlier in the day, Kemp called the incident "unacceptable."
"A driver is not supposed to leave the carriage to take photos – ever," he said in a statement, in part.
The horse that initially ran off was found near Tavern on the Green, and was uninjured. Kemp said the horse had only been in the park for six weeks.
It's unclear what spooked the horse.
"Something happened. [The driver] said he didn't hear anything," TWU Local 100 spokesperson Christina Hansen said. "He didn't hear anything, didn't see anything. Horse took off."
In a statement, the Central Park Conservancy said they were "absolutely devastated" to learn of the passenger'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," a spokesperson for the nonprofit said in a statement, in part.
The Central Park Conservancy said to their knowledge, this is the first death involving a horse carriage passenger in the park.
"A young man came to enjoy our park and lost his life"
For years, there have been calls to pass legislation called Ryder's Law, which would ban horse carriages in New York City. The law is named for a horse that collapsed on a Manhattan street in 2022 and died several months later.
The Central Park Conservancy said in a statement, in part:
"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.
"We renew our 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."
The law failed to pass a City Council vote back in November, but there has been a recent push to reintroduce it.
The nonprofit organization New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets (NYCLASS) is among those advocating for Ryder's Law.
"This is now an emergency," NYCLASS Executive Director Edita Birnkrant said. "Anyone who is blocking this is gambling with lives."
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement he has been briefed about Wednesday's tragedy and reiterated that he supports ending the horse carriage industry in city parks.
"I look forward to working with 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," he said.
