NEW YORK (PIX11) – A horse tied to a buggy ran into traffic near Central Park, videos obtained by PIX11 News shows.
The incident happened on Monday, according to a witness.
"I was working near 59th Street and Sixth Avenue when I heard a loud voice and saw a horse running into traffic,” said the witness, who works in Central Park and requested to remain anonymous. "People were really scared. Hundreds of people pass that intersection daily. There were food vendors, ice cream trucks, and even tourists.”
The witness said he heard a loud noise before the horse ran into the street. He thinks that may have spooked it. However, he noted that the buggy attendant was far from the horse and carriage.
“Move,” a voice screams in the video.
The horse gallops into the middle of the street and narrowly avoids colliding with a white van with Titan written on the side, the video shows. Another video of the incident shows a cop directing traffic as an individual grabs the horse reins, and another man runs after it. The horse is then redirected from the street.
According to NY Class, a non-profit animal rights organization, the incident was reported to Alexander Silver at the NYC Mayor’s Office of Animal Welfare.
“We’re investigating,” a spokesperson at the mayor’s office told PIX11 News.
“Because horses evolved as prey animals, their instinct is to run away when frightened - a recipe for violent disaster in Midtown," Edita Binkrant, executive director of NYCLASS, said.
No injuries were reported. The horse was taken back to its stables, according to the witness who works inside Central Park.
The stables where horses in Central Park are kept could not be reached for comment.
Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.
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