Escaping horse damages parked car in Manhattan
He was caught on camera escaping his horse-drawn carriage driver and running freely around Manhattan, damaging cars and speeding down highways before being captured by police. (Credit: NYCLASS)
A horse caused havoc in Manhattan on Sunday when it escaped from a carriage, crushed a car and sped down the West Side Highway.
Video captured the immediate aftermath of the horse’s destruction, and one onlooker could see the remains of a car believed to have been involved in the collision, as well as a badly damaged horse-drawn carriage on the side of the road.
ABC 7 reports that the trouble started when the carriage broke down and the driver shook the horse while trying to fix it. The 15-year-old horse, named Gunner, dragged the driver for a short time, causing serious injuries to the driver, including broken ribs.
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A 15-year-old horse-drawn gunner escapes in New York City, damaging the horse-drawn carriage. (New York class)
From there, the horse ran toward Westside Highway, colliding with multiple parked vehicles, before becoming separated from the carriage and continuing to run in the northbound lanes of the highway.
Eventually, Gunner slipped and fell, and two off-duty NYPD officers subdued him and took him to the Clinton Park Stables for evaluation.
A NYPD police officer sits in a marked vehicle. (Spencer Pratt/Getty Images)
“The horse that broke loose and fell from the broken down carriage is in stable condition today. Fortunately, off-duty @nypdspecialops Mounted Troop Sergeant Fontana and Game Officer were on scene and took immediate action to ensure further recovery. The horse was secured to prevent injury,” the NYPD said in a statement regarding X.
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Christina Hanson of Clinton Park Stables said Gunner required several stitches in his leg as a result of the incident.
According to ABC 7, “He came upstairs and quickly settled in his stall. We took him to the vet. He cut his leg and got a few stitches, but he hasn’t been in his stall ever since. “He’s resting comfortably inside,” Hanson said.
A car is destroyed by a runaway horse in New York City. (New York class)
Following the incident, some activists have renewed calls for horses to be banned from the city.
“They’re hitting cars, they’re running out of control, they’re hurting, they’re being killed, they’re hurting pedestrians, they’re hurting drivers,” New York-class animal rights activist Edita Bernkrant told ABC 7. Ta. She added that the people who run Sanctuary Farm have already gotten in touch and offered to retire Gunner.
“He will never be in danger again,” Bernkrant said.
