A distressing event has emerged from New York’s Central Park, where a carriage horse suddenly collapsed and died, leaving onlookers shaken as they witnessed the animal’s final moments. The event occurred on Tuesday evening, June 9, on 72nd Street near Central Park West during a carriage ride operated by driver Nurettin Kirbiyik. Deniz, a 16-year-old horse, abruptly collapsed and died approximately 10 minutes later.
According to eyewitness accounts cited by the New York Post, the carriage horse was flailing and struggling on the ground with its tongue lolling out near Strawberry Fields at about 7:30 p.m.
Video footage of the incident shared on social media shows the brown-and-white horse lying still on the pavement.
The animal died less than a day before council members are set to assemble on the steps of City Hall to back Ryder's Law, a measure intended to gradually eliminate the city's horse-drawn carriages. The legislation has been named in memory of a carriage horse, Ryder, who also died in 2022 under similar circumstances.
According to reports, PETA has urged the City Council to promptly enact Ryder's Law to protect the horses’ welfare. “City Council, what more evidence do you require? Visitors to Central Park are in tears and embracing one another after witnessing this deeply distressing death that has affected everyone,” the animal rights organization stated.