Full Breakdown
Family Files $105 Million Claim After Teen Killed in Central Park Carriage Accident
8/18/2026, 9:21:37 PM
Fatal Carriage Accident and $105 Million Claim
On June 17, 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan, a visitor from India, was riding a horse-drawn carriage near Cherry Hill in Central Park when the horse, Sampson, bolted after the driver stopped for a photograph. Romanch jumped from the moving carriage to aid his mother, Priya, and suffered a fatal head injury. He was pronounced dead at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The family filed four notices of claim totaling $105 million, naming New York City, Con Edison, and the city’s Parks and Recreation, Transportation, Health and Mental Hygiene, and Consumer and Worker Protection departments.
Legislative Background and “Romanch’s Law”
A 2024 bill would have banned horse-drawn carriages citywide beginning June 1 2026, but the City Council’s Health Committee defeated it in November 2025. Council Member Christopher Marte reintroduced a revised version on June 11, six days before the accident, proposing a phase-out by June 1 2028. The revived legislation is now being renamed “Romanch’s Law” and has the backing of City Council Speaker Julie Menin.
Official Statements
- Council Speaker Julie Menin called the death “heartbreaking” and “preventable,” and announced her support for Romanch’s Law.
- Con Edison confirmed that low-level stray voltage was detected in the area on July 16 and July 23, weeks after the incident.
Data & Statistics
- One horse, Sampson, was involved.
- Four family members sustained minor injuries.
- The claim seeks $105 million in damages.
- Stray-voltage detections were recorded on July 16 and July 23.
Verbatim Quotes
- “If the city had passed the law last year, our son would still be alive today,” — Deepak Mahajan
- “EAGLES FAN, 18, DIES AFTER FALL FROM LIGHT POLE DURING CELEBRATION "His death was heartbreaking, and it was preventable," Menin wrote in a statement to support and rename the bill.” — Council Speaker Julie Menin
