The union representing horse carriage drivers in Central Park believes {that a} jolt of electrical energy might have brought about the lethal mishap that claimed a teen’s life and evoked a brand new push to ban the equine trade from town.
In accordance with Transport Employees Union (TWU) Native 100, stray voltage was discovered within the Cherry Hill part of Central Park the place a carriage horse took off on June 17, killing 18-year-old vacationer Romanch Mahajan. They imagine {the electrical} subject might have sparked the horse, Samson, to instantly bolt from his carriage driver, overturning the carriage and hurtling Mahajan to his dying.
A Con Edison employee notified Cornelius Byrne, proprietor of one of many carriage horse stables, on July 21 that {the electrical} firm “found the problem and cut the power,” in response to a TWU Native 100 assertion on July 29. The stray voltage was found days after Byrne requested that Con Edison test underground electrical cables at Cherry Hill for stray voltage that will have brought about the horse to bolt.
Energy to the Cherry Hill fountain and surrounding lampposts has been lower off, with Con Edison, Parks Division, and Transportation Division officers on scene working to right {the electrical} subject. Some lampposts and utility packing containers have been marked with warning tape and indicators stating “WARNING: DO NOT ENTER. Possible electrical condition.”
Byrne said at a July 15 Metropolis Council listening to on a proposal to ban carriage rides that Samson “acted as if he was electrocuted.” Samson was close to the Cherry Hill turnaround when he instantly took off from the motive force, who had been holding on to the horse’s reins.
Transport Employees Union (TWU) Native 100 says that stray voltage is accountable within the lethal mishap that claimed the lifetime of a teen final month.Photograph courtesy of Transport Employees Union (TWU) Native 100
TWU Native 100 said that some carriage drivers seen their horses performing “uneasy” at Cherry Hill within the weeks main as much as the deadly crash. The union added that drivers have filed complaints to the Central Park Conservancy that unsuitable floor supplies was positioned on the turnaround, which was constructed for carriage horses, final 12 months.
“Wet sand and soil conduct electricity, and Samson was wearing metal shoes,” the union wrote.
Alexander Kemp, administrative vice chairman of TWU Native 100, said within the launch that “there was a rush to judgment” to put blame on carriage drivers because the Metropolis Council considers “Romanch’s Law,” laws launched by District 1 Council-member Christopher Marte that requires a complete ban on horse-drawn carriages efficient as of June 1, 2028.
Kemp referred to as on the council to permit for a “full investigation” into the accident earlier than enacting a ban, which might remove jobs for horse carriage drivers.
The proposed laws has been backed by key metropolis officers, together with Julie Menin, speaker of the Metropolis Council. A spokesperson for Menin instructed New York News that the speaker is dedicated to phasing out horse carriages from Central Park whereas additionally guaranteeing protections for employees within the trade.
The overturned horse carriage that teenager Romanch Mahajan died from falling out of. Wednesday, June 17, 2026.Photograph By Dean Moses
Employee protections have been a priority for native leaders, together with Kemp, who famous that horse carriage drivers are “overwhelmingly immigrant workers.”
“Blue collar carriage drivers should not be punished for an unforseeable hazard caused by flaws in the city’s power grid,” Kemp mentioned.
Menin voiced her assist for the legislation within the aftermath of the accident and the June 9 collapse and dying of a carriage horse, Deniz, in Central Park, probably from consuming a poisonous plant.
The Central Park Conservancy wrote in a June 16 assertion on Deniz’s dying that TWU “demonstrated how their own negligence has resulted in this incident” as NYC Parks guidelines prohibit horses from consuming park vegetation. The conservancy renewed its name for a ban on horse carriages in Central Park the subsequent day following Mahajan’s dying, writing that “we hope today’s injuries are the last we ever see.”
Edita Birnkrant, govt director of the nonprofit New Yorkers for Clear, Livable, and Protected Streets, instructed New York News that the horse carriage enterprise is “inherently dangerous” and that “flimsy” carriages don’t belong in dense, traffic-heavy areas.
“The carriage cartel blames everything other than the industry’s unsafe nature and irresponsible behavior,” she added.
