Teenager dies in horse-drawn carriage accident in New York City's Central Park

A teenager has died after being thrown to the ground in a horse-drawn carriage accident in New York City's Central Park.

The 18-year-old was riding in the carriage with three other passengers when the horse bolted away from its driver just before 3pm on Wednesday, according to police.

At least two passengers were sent flying out of the careening cab.

The teenager was taken to hospital in a critical condition, where he later died from his injuries. The other passengers refused medical treatment.

A representative for the Transport Workers Union, which represents carriage industry employees, said the driver had dismounted to take a photograph of his passengers, which they are not supposed to do. It is understood the driver has been suspended indefinitely.

The horse had been in the park for just six weeks and took off for unknown reasons, according to Alexander Kemp, the administrative vice president of the union's New York City chapter, who said he wants a full investigation into the accident.

One video showed the horse sprint through the park as two people appeared to jump from the carriage, with other footage showing the cab toppling over after clipping the wheels of another carriage on the park's busy loop.

Central Park's 150-year-old horse-drawn carriage industry has long been controversial in New York.

While it offers tourists a romantic remnant of a bygone New York and hundreds of jobs for drivers, critics say the rides are both inhumane to horses and dangerous to city residents.

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The Central Park Conservancy, the non-profit organisation that operates the park and since last summer has supported a ban on horse-drawn carriages, said: "A young man came to enjoy our park and lost his life. That is not an acceptable cost of an antiquated industry operating in the middle of one of the most heavily used public spaces in America."

Central Park is nearly 1.3 square miles (3.4 square km) and attracts millions of people every year.

(c) Sky News 2026: Teenager dies in horse-drawn carriage accident in New York City's Central Park