Speaker of the New York City Council backs legislation to ban Central Park horse-drawn carriages

The Speaker of the New York City Council announced support for legislation to ban horse-drawn carriages in Central Park following the death of an 18-year-old visitor who, the speaker said, was thrown from a carriage earlier this year.

“That is why I'm announcing my support today for the legislation currently before the New York City Council to ban horse drawn carriages,” the speaker said, speaking from Central Park.

The speaker said the visitor, identified in the remarks as 18-year-old Rumanj Mahajan, was visiting from India to celebrate his high school graduation and that the death was both “heartbreaking and infuriating” and preventable. The announcement framed the proposed ban as a public-safety and animal-welfare measure intended to protect residents, visitors and the horses themselves.

The speaker also emphasized that the transition away from carriages must protect the workers who operate them. “At the same time, the path forward must involve and protect workers who operate these carriages, and I'm actively working on a plan to guarantee them quality employment opportunities in the hospitality industry,” the speaker said.

On the horses, the speaker said it is “vital that we ensure a safe and humane transition for the beloved horses that made this industry possible in the first place,” and expressed confidence that working with advocates could achieve that goal.

The speaker did not provide a bill number or specific timeline; their remarks said only that the legislation is “currently before the New York City Council.” No vote or committee action was announced during the remarks. The speaker closed by reiterating a commitment to shepherd Central Park into “a new, safer chapter.”