‘An Angel for Animals’: PETA Memorializes Central Park Carriage-Crash Victim as Vote on Ban Nears

For Immediate Release:
September 2, 2026

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

Romanch Mahajan, the 18-year-old Indian tourist who was killed trying to save his mother in a Central Park horse-drawn carriage crash, is being honored with a leaf on PETA’s Tree of Life memorial. The tribute comes as New York City Council prepares to vote—as soon as this month—on Romanch’s Law, a ban on horse-drawn carriages named in his memory. His family, at their home in the Punjab, plans to hang a replica plaque in his bedroom.

PETA’s Tree of Life is a showpiece at the Sam Simon Center, PETA’s headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, honoring individuals, animals, and heroes who made a profound difference for animals or demonstrated extraordinary compassion during their lives. At Romanch’s Central Park memorial in July, his family shared that he was a lifelong vegetarian, “a soul full of love, full of life,” loved animals and children, and once rescued a kitten with his aunt. Romanch’s parents have said they would never have taken a carriage ride had they known about the cruelty and danger involved.

Romanch’s leaf will read:

“In Loving Memory of Romanch Mahajan—An Angel for Animals.”

“Romanch was a compassionate soul who cherished all living beings, and we are asking lawmakers to pass Romanch’s Law so that the cruel and dangerous carriage industry that took his life will never take another,” says Romanch’s father, Deepak Mahajan. “It brings us comfort that PETA has honored him with a leaf on its Tree of Life, ensuring our son will be remembered forever as a champion for animals whose legacy will help spare countless others from suffering.”

Romanch’s Law (Intro 943), which would immediately end the issuance of new medallions for carriage horses and end the industry entirely in the summer of 2028, is advancing. At a City Council Health Committee hearing, supporters—including Romanch’s family, and Emmy Award-winning actor and PETA Honorary Director Edie Falco—filled the room to voice their support. Speaker Julie Menin became the first sitting Council speaker to publicly support legislation to end horse-drawn carriages in Central Park, and as of the hearing, 26 of the Council’s 51 members had signed on to the bill as co-sponsors.

70% of New Yorkers support phasing out the carriage industry, which forces horses to toil in all weather extremes—dodging traffic, inhaling exhaust fumes, and pounding hard pavement all day long—leading to respiratory ailments and debilitating leg problems. Impatient and careless drivers have caused multiple incidents in which carriages have been hit, injuring and killing both horses and humans, including Romanch. His parents filed a notice of claim for a wrongful death lawsuit against the city on August 14.

Romanch’s aunt and uncle, Sovia Thukral and Anuj Thukral, live in Long Island and are available for interviews upon request.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and fear, a horse is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.