Romanch Mahajan came to New York City at 18 years old to see Central Park. In June, a carriage horse bolted and threw him from the carriage. He died. His father, Deepak, called him a vegetarian and animal lover who had "sacrificed his life for the animals" — words Deepak spoke over the phone from India, at a memorial he could not attend in person.

Carriage passengers had not died in Central Park in over 50 years. Romanch's death was the first. And according to the attorney representing his family, it did not have to happen.

The city's failure is not contested. Even carriage drivers agree that basic equine infrastructure was absent from the park. Attorney Ali Najmi, representing the Mahajan family, said the city had failed to build what a working horse needs in an urban environment, hitching posts, rest areas, standard safety protocols. Without them, a horse will always be one spook away from a tragedy.

The City Council has the votes to pass a carriage horse ban. Mayor Zohran Mamdani has the authority to order emergency safety measures now, while that legislation moves. Both need to happen.

We are calling on the New York City Council to bring the carriage horse ban to a vote without delay, and on Mayor Mamdani to issue an emergency directive requiring hitching posts and mandatory rest protocols in Central Park, effective immediately.

Romanch's father could not cross the ocean to stand at the fountain where his son died. The least this city can do is make sure no other family faces the same. Sign this petition to demand the Council vote and the mayor act.