Overview
- On Jan. 8, a driverless horse ran out of Central Park at Sixth Avenue and West 59th Street, struck four to five unattended vehicles including a taxi, and caused no reported injuries as the NYPD continues its investigation.
- Video from NYCLASS shows the escape through a park barrier into traffic, and the Transport Workers Union says the driver was nearby when the horse was startled by a fast-moving Amazon delivery e-bike with a cargo trailer.
- The union says it notified city health officials, is weighing internal action against the driver, and reports the 25-year-old horse, Destiny, was cleared by a veterinarian and has returned to work.
- Animal-welfare group NYCLASS renewed calls to pass Ryder’s Law to phase out carriage licenses, after the bill failed in 2025, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani has previously voiced support for removing carriages from Central Park.
- Policy oversight remains unsettled after former Mayor Eric Adams’ carriage-horse inspection order was revoked, as the union defends immigrant driver jobs and proposals such as a Central Park stable face disputes over safety measures like hitching posts.