NEW YORK (PIX11) – The family of Romanch Mahajan, an 18-year-old Indian teen who tragically died in a horse-drawn carriage incident, has submitted a notice of claim in New York City, PIX11 News has confirmed.
Under New York City law, a notice of claim is generally the first step when public entities may face a lawsuit under claims, according to the New York City Comptroller’s office.
Discover more local reporting on our homepage
PIX11 News spoke to Mahajan’s uncle and aunt, who confirmed the family has filed a claim against the New York City Departments of Parks and Recreation, Health and Mental Hygiene, Transportation, and Consumer and Worker Protection.
Horse-drawn carriage linked death
Romanch Mahajan is believed to be the first human death linked to the horse-drawn carriage industry in New York City, according to the Central Park Conservancy.
On June 17, Mahajan died after a horse became startled, causing the horse-drawn carriage carrying passengers to break free and bolt down West Drive. It then collided with another carriage, which flipped over near Tavern on the Green, according to the Central Park Conservancy.
The 18-year-old who fell from the carriage was taken to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries and was later pronounced dead, according to police.
Make PIX11 your preferred news source on Google: Here’s how
The union representing carriage drivers, TWU Local 100, has suggested that stray voltage in the area where a carriage horse bolted may have contributed to Manhajan’s death.
Since the teen’s death, the family says the union never sent sympathies to the family.
“It’s very strange that there is no humanity in them [referring to the union]. At least one human to another human. This is a huge loss to us, you know, as humans. Just empathize,” said Romanch’s aunt in a phone call with PIX11 News. “Condolences doesn’t do harm, and at this point Romanch cannot come back, but one word of emotional support, you know, makes a person feel a little better.”
The aunt further remarked that if the organization behaves cruelly and lacks empathy for humans, it reflects its attitude toward its horses. She mentions that New Yorkers have demonstrated compassion toward the family.
In a statement provided to PIX11 News, the union says they didn’t reach out in the weeks after the tragedy out of respect for the mourning period. They also said the issue became highly politicized and explosive, and they were unable to offer condolences due to conflicts with an animal rights group, according to the union.
It remains unclear how much in damages the family plans to seek. PIX11 attempted to reach out to the family’s lawyer, who filed the notice of claim on their behalf, but he could not be reached immediately for comment.
PIX11 News also reached out to the city entities the family mentioned; they were not immediately available to comment.
Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.