July 31, 2026 NEW YORK, NY The horror of that June afternoon in Central Park is etched into the memories of everyone who witnessed it: a carriage horse suddenly bolting into a blind panic, overturning a carriage, and hurling an 18-year-old tourist to his untimely death.
For weeks, activists and city officials have pointed fingers directly at the horse-drawn carriage industry, calling it a cruel and outdated practice that has no place in a modern metropolis. But now, a stunning new revelation threatens to blow the entire narrative wide open.
According to the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100, a lethal and invisible hazard may have been the true culprit behind the tragedy that claimed the life of 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan on June 17: stray underground electricity.
The Hidden Killer Beneath the Pavement
In a bombshell statement released by TWU Local 100, union officials revealed that Con Edison workers discovered stray voltage in the Cherry Hill section of Central Park—the exact location where the horse, named Samson, suddenly snapped and took off from his driver.
A Con Edison worker reportedly notified stable owner Cornelius Byrne on July 21 that the utility company had finally located the problem and cut the power. The discovery came days after Byrne frantically requested that underground cables near the Cherry Hill turnaround be checked for electrical issues.
Power to the nearby Cherry Hill fountain and surrounding lampposts has since been shut off, while crews from Con Edison, the Parks Department, and the Transportation Department scramble to fix the grid. Several utility boxes and lampposts in the area now bear stark warning tape reading: “WARNING: DO NOT ENTER. Possible electrical condition.”
Union officials point out a terrifying physical reality that may have triggered the disaster: Samson was wearing traditional metal shoes, and the turnaround's surface material—composed of wet sand and soil—is a high conductor of electricity.
Byrne, who testified at a July 15 City Council hearing on a proposal to ban carriage rides, insisted that Samson "acted as if he was electrocuted" the moment the chaos began. Furthermore, TWU Local 100 noted that other drivers had filed complaints with the Central Park Conservancy weeks prior, reporting that their horses were acting unusually "uneasy" when passing through the Cherry Hill area.
A Political Firestorm and "Romanch’s Law"
The revelation has ignited a fierce battle over the future of the equine industry in New York City.
Alexander Kemp, administrative vice president of TWU Local 100, blasted city officials for what he called a "rush to judgment" to scapegoat drivers while a total ban hangs in the balance. The tragedy has accelerated momentum behind "Romanch’s Law," legislation introduced by District 1 Councilmember Christopher Marte that seeks a complete ban on horse-drawn carriages effective June 1, 2028.
The legislation has powerful backers, including City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who doubled down on her commitment to phase out the carriages while protecting the livelihoods of industry workers.
"Blue-collar carriage drivers should not be punished for an unforeseen hazard caused by flaws in the city’s power grid," Kemp argued, emphasizing that the union's workforce is "overwhelmingly immigrant workers" who rely on these jobs to survive.
