Romanch's Law: Indian Teen's Death May Change New York's Horse Carriage Business
- 2 days ago
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New York renamed a horse carriage reform bill after Indian teen Romanch Mahajan, whose death reignited safety concerns.
By Pranjal Gupta
New York, June 23: A proposed New York City bill that seeks to gradually end horse-drawn carriage rides has been renamed in honour of 18-year-old Indian teenager Romanch Mahajan, who died after a tragic accident involving a horse carriage in Central Park last week.
New York State Senator Erik Bottcher addressed the issue in the public, saying "what happened to Romanch was an unspeakable tragedy. The young man died in the final act of heroism to save his mother".
"...shame on use if we let this happen. Good News is that there is a bill, which is now Romanch's law, a bill that we should have passed years ago".
During the vigil, Marte also read out a letter from Romanch's family. In the emotional message, the family urged city authorities to immediately stop horse-drawn carriage rides, saying they were shocked that the industry was preparing to resume normal operations so soon after the fatal accident.
"The industry responsible for my nephew's death is preparing to resume passenger tours this Tuesday, treating the loss of Romanch's life as a temporary inconvenience," the letter stated.
The family further criticised city officials for allowing carriage rides to continue while they were still grieving and making funeral arrangements.
"We demand that you use the full power of your office to halt the resumption of these rides immediately. Allowing horse carriages back on the streets while our family is planning a funeral proves that the city values tourism over human life," the letter added.
A Horse Hero
The bill was originally named after Ryder, a 26-year-old carriage horse that collapsed while pulling tourists through Manhattan in August 2022. Ryder later died from his injuries, sparking widespread outrage and strengthening calls from animal welfare groups to ban horse-drawn
carriages in the city.
If approved, the proposed legislation would gradually phase out the horse-drawn carriage industry. It would stop the issuing of new carriage licences and ban horse-drawn carriage operations completely from June 1, 2028.
Romanch's death has added fresh momentum to the campaign. According to his family, the accident happened when the horse pulling their carriage suddenly became frightened and bolted. They said the driver had stopped the carriage to take a photograph of the family when the horse unexpectedly ran off.
As the carriage sped away, Romanch's mother, Priya Mahajan, was thrown from the vehicle. Seeing his mother injured, Romanch reportedly jumped from the moving carriage in an attempt to help her. He suffered critical injuries and later died, turning what was meant to be a family outing into a heartbreaking tragedy.
The incident has reignited debate over the safety of horse-drawn carriage rides in New York City, with campaigners arguing that both passengers and animals remain at risk. Supporters of the proposed legislation hope that renaming the bill after Romanch will keep public attention focused on the issue and help prevent similar tragedies in the future.
