Stray voltage eyed in fatal Central Park horse carriage crash as investigation continues

Stray voltage eyed in fatal Central Park horse carriage crash as investigation continues Thursday, July 30, 2026 9:45PM Darla Miles is live in Central Park with the latest on the investigation. MANHATTAN (WABC) -- The union representing New York City's horse-drawn carriage industry says stray voltage may have played a role in the runaway carriage crash that killed 18-year-old tourist Romanch Mahajan in Central Park last month, raising new questions about what caused the horse to bolt.

According to the union, Con Edison workers have been investigating reports of stray voltage, or electricity in the ground, inside Central Park to determine whether it may have startled the horse involved in the deadly crash.

Photos provided by the Transport Workers Union show Con Edison crews on site looking into the source of the voltage and whether it could have spooked the animal.

The union provided screenshots of what they say is a text thread with stable owner Cornelius Byrne asking for an update on the testing and a Con Ed employee responding last Tuesday, "We found the problem and cut the power."

In a statement, Con Edison said it "observed very low levels of stray voltage on July 16 and July 23," but determined that neither instance originated from Con Edison equipment. They directed further questions to the Parks Department.

The investigation comes in the wake of the fatal crash that claimed the life of Mahajan, who was thrown from a carriage after a horse bolted in Central Park.

The incident, which was captured on video, renewed scrutiny of the city's horse-drawn carriage industry and intensified calls from critics to ban the practice.

The debate continued at City Hall this week, where the City Council held a hearing on legislation that would phase out horse-drawn carriages by June 2028.

Supporters and opponents staged competing demonstrations as lawmakers considered the proposal. While advocates say the measure appears to have enough support to pass, no vote has been scheduled.

"I hope that the cooler heads prevail here and that they can say, OK, hold on a moment, let's take a good look at what happened here," said stable co-owner Conor McHugh. "I think that there was a rush to judgment here. Obviously this was a disastrous, tragic event that happened to this family and this young kid."

Brant Groen is an expert in stray voltage testing with livestock based in Minnesota.

"Cattle and horses are at least ten times more sensitive to that current, that electricity, than us humans are," Groen said.

While there has been no confirmation of stray voltage the day Mahajan was killed, on Thursday, the power was out in several areas of the park during apparent repairs.

The Central Park Conservancy spoke on the electrical issues, saying it is not within their jurisdiction and "The eight carriage-related incidents in different locations in the Park over the last 13 months show that the presence of horse carriages is an ongoing danger...We maintain our call for a ban..."

Mahajan's family marked 40 days since his death with a memorial and announced plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the city.

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