Central Park carriage crash kills Indian tourist after horse bolts

A Central Park carriage ride turned deadly when a horse bolted as the driver stepped away to take a photo, throwing an 18-year-old tourist from India from the buggy near Tavern on the Green. The carriage clipped the wheel of another carriage and overturned, leaving the teen in critical condition before he later died at NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center.

The crash unfolded around 2:45 p.m. to 2:47 p.m. on June 17 near West 67th Street, Central Drive and Cherry Hill around 71st Street, in one of the park’s busiest tourist corridors. The teen was riding with three other passengers, who refused medical treatment after the wreck, while NYPD responded to the scene.

The carriage drivers’ union said the driver had stepped out to photograph the passengers when the horse took off for unknown reasons. In its account, Transport Workers Union Local 100 said the driver was "at least at arm’s length from his horse to take a photo of his passengers in the carriage," and said drivers are not supposed to leave the carriage to take photos. The union said it supports a full investigation and added that the horse involved had been in the park for only about six weeks.

The fatal fall has deepened the scrutiny already surrounding horse-drawn carriages in New York City. The crash came eight days after another Central Park carriage horse, Deniz, died after collapsing on June 9, reviving criticism of an industry that has long faced questions about animal welfare, traffic safety and whether it still fits the pace and density of modern Manhattan.

Those questions are now moving back to the center of City Hall. Mayor Eric Adams issued Executive Order 56 on September 17, 2025, backing a phaseout of horse-drawn carriages in New York City and citing Central Park’s more than 42 million annual visitors as evidence that the park has become increasingly incompatible with the trade. The Central Park Conservancy has also called for a ban.

The death of the Indian tourist has turned a single buggy crash into another test of oversight, enforcement and public tolerance for an industry that runs on crowded paths beside millions of pedestrians each year. The central issue is no longer only the runaway horse, but whether the rules, the training and the city’s willingness to act were strong enough to prevent it.