By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-06-18 14:04:22 | Updated at 2026-06-18 15:44:19
1 hour ago
The tourist who was thrown to his death during a Central Park horse ride was trying to save his mom during what was supposed to be a fun first-time trip to the Big Apple.
Romanch Mahajan, 18, was riding in one of the city's iconic horse-drawn carriages with his mother, father, and little brother, when tragedy struck just before 3pm on Wednesday.
The carriage driver had stopped to take a photo of the family, who were visiting from India, when the horse suddenly bolted with all of them inside, Deepak Mahajan, the teen's father, told The New York Times.
'We were yelling, "Help me, help me!",' his distraught father recalled to the outlet.
Deepak said he and his family clung to each other, but as the carriage stormed down the pavement, his wife, Priya, flew out, and Romanch immediately jumped out to save her.
'My son, just to save his mother, he fell off. He was screaming, "Mom!",' Deepak, 44, told the NYT.
As Romanch did so, he hit his head on the ground. He was pronounced dead on Wednesday night at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center.
The rest of his family suffered minor injuries.
Romanch Mahajan, 18, died on Wednesday in New York City after he flew out of a horse-drawn carriage in Central Park
The family of four were enjoying the horse and carriage ride on Wednesday afternoon when chaos quickly unfolded
Dramatic footage captured by bystanders showed the carriage driver running after the out of control carriage.
The operator soon caught up to the startled horse, named Sampson, near the restaurant Tavern on the Green.
The seven-year-old horse was found uninjured and in stable condition.
Breaking news.. updates to follow.
