Horse-Drawn Carriage Incident in Central Park
Recent video footage has revealed a horse-drawn carriage in Central Park becoming startled and running into busy midtown traffic last week. This incident occurred on Thursday when the horse bolted onto Sixth Avenue near Central Park South after being left unattended, witnesses reported.
The video captures the horse maneuvering through several traffic lanes and crashing into about five vehicles, including a yellow taxi, around 11:20 a.m. Fortunately, police confirmed that no injuries were reported, though an investigation by the NYPD is still in progress.
Animal advocacy organization NYCLASS expressed serious concern, labeling the situation as “reckless endangerment.” They criticized the practice of using horses in crowded city environments and reiterated calls for the City Council to ban horse-drawn carriages in New York.
A representative from the Transportation Workers Union, which represents the drivers, mentioned they are reviewing penalties for the individual drivers involved. The spokesperson acknowledged the serious responsibility carriage drivers have for their horses, stating this incident didn’t meet their standards. They speculated that the horse may have been startled by a passing Amazon delivery vehicle or an electric bike.
Edita Bernkrant, the executive director of NYCLASS, claimed that carriage drivers frequently abandon their horses without facing consequences, highlighting the absence of law enforcement in such situations. This runaway incident was just one of several similar occurrences in New York.
In 2025, at least four horses ran away, which led to then-Mayor Eric Adams calling for tighter regulations in the industry. Before leaving office, he enacted an executive order requiring veterinary examinations for horse-drawn carriage teams to check for drugs or injuries, emphasizing the health and safety of the animals. Failure to comply could risk losing their operating licenses.
The order also overturned various directives issued after the former mayor faced federal indictment, a situation that changed with the arrival of Mayor Zoran Mamdani. Before his inauguration, Mamdani had expressed strong support for eliminating horse-drawn carriages from Central Park, confidently stating, “I’m going to make it happen.”
