Horse breaks loose in Manhattan, drags coachman, collides with 4 other vehicles
NYPD officials detaining Gunner, the horse that broke loose on Sunday.
NEW YORK - A 15-year-old carriage horse named Gunner crashed into multiple cars this afternoon after breaking loose near West 55th and 11th Avenue around 3 p.m. Sunday.
Police said the carriage malfunctioned, and the coachman was dragged by the horse.
The horse collided with four cars and slipped and fell near 55th Street where two off-duty officers helped to secure the horse.
Gunner the horse on the ground in Midtown traffic.
The horse was later taken to Clinton Park Stables with minor injuries to its legs and body.
The carriage rider also sustained minor injuries.
Animal rights activists have long protested the use of horse carriages in the city.
New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets (NYCLASS) tweeted about the incident, calling on Mayor Eric Adams to take swift action to "remove cruel and unsafe horse carriages."
Edita Birnkrant, the Executive Director of NYCLASS said: "This is another prime example of why New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Mayor Eric Adams must take swift action to fast-track and pass legislation to remove cruel and unsafe horse carriages from Midtown streets. "
Horses on the loose in NYC
In 2022, the NYPD’s Mounted Unit had to help a distressed carriage horse and get it back up on its feet after it collapsed in Hell’s Kitchen.
Videos captured by onlookers show the 14-year-old horse, Ryder, lying motionless on the hot asphalt.
UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 14: A dead horse is hauled onto a truck after it bolted from a handsome cab and collided with a car on Cental Park South and Park Ave. on Friday. (Photo by John Roca/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
In 2016, an animal advocacy group slammed Mayor Bill de Blasio for not speaking out about a carriage horse seen in photos laying on the street in Manhattan. A witness claims the horse collapsed, but according to a veterinarian, the horse "tripped and fell," reported the NY Post.