Indian-origin woman and her friend, both 24-year-old, from New Jersey were fatally struck by a New York City subway train early Sunday after they were seen sitting on the tracks at a Manhattan station. Investigators are trying to determine how and why they ended up in the path of the approaching train.Malaika Chitre and Navam Kaul, both recent Rutgers University graduates, were on the tracks at Spring Street station in Lower Manhattan shortly after 3 am when a southbound No 4 train entered the station. The train operator saw the pair and tried to stop, but was unable to prevent the collision. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. Around 100 passengers were later evacuated from the train, according to reports.The circumstances surrounding the deaths remain unclear. Investigators are examining whether Kaul first fell or went onto the tracks and Chitre followed in an attempt to help him, whether intoxication played a role, or whether the possibility of suicide should be considered.
What happened on the tracks?
An incident report obtained by the New York Daily News said the train operator told supervisors that she saw the man and woman sitting on the tracks as the train approached. She attempted to stop the train, but it was too late.The report said Chitre appeared to be laughing and pulling Kaul towards her when the train struck them. Separately, law-enforcement sources told the New York Post that Kaul may have fallen or made his way onto the tracks before Chitre went down after him.Video circulating on social media also appeared to show the pair sitting together on the tracks shortly before the train arrived. AmNewYork reported that the operator activated the emergency brake but could not stop the train in time.The medical examiner has not yet released an official determination explaining the circumstances of the deaths.
Were they trying to save each other?
One possibility being examined is that Kaul ended up on the tracks first and Chitre went down to help him.Police sources told the New York Post that it was not immediately clear whether Kaul had fallen or climbed down. Chitre appeared to try to pull him towards her before the train hit them.If that account is confirmed, Chitre may have gone onto the tracks in an attempt to rescue her friend, rather than intentionally placing herself in the path of the train.However, investigators have not established what happened immediately before the pair were seen on the tracks.
Did intoxication play a role?
Investigators are also looking into whether one or both of them were intoxicated and may have been too impaired or disoriented to recognise the danger posed by the approaching train, according to law-enforcement sources.The footage showing the pair apparently remaining on the tracks as the train approached has raised questions about whether they understood what was happening around them. But there has been no official finding that alcohol or drugs were involved, and toxicology results, if any, have not been made public.
Was suicide a possible motive?
Suicide has also been posed as a possible explanation.No suicide note was found at the scene, according to sources cited by the New York Post. However, the absence of a note does not by itself establish how the pair came to be on the tracks, and investigators have not concluded that their deaths were intentional.At present, there is no publicly established motive for why the two were on the tracks.
Who were Malaika Chitre and Navam Kaul?
Chitre and Kaul were longtime friends who attended Rutgers University around the same time and graduated in 2024.Chitre, from the Dayton section of South Brunswick, New Jersey, graduated from Rutgers with a degree in public health and a minor in business administration. She was working as a quality operations specialist at pharmaceutical company Acadia Pharmaceuticals and had recently begun pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Temple University.Kaul, from Sayreville, New Jersey, graduated from Rutgers Business School with a degree in finance. He had been working as a financial data analyst at Bloomberg since 2025.The two were part of the same social circles and South Asian community around Rutgers, according to people who knew them. Rajnikant Pipalia, whose son was a close friend of Kaul, told the New York Post that the pair had grown up in the same social world and remained part of the same wider group of friends.Their deaths came as they were beginning their professional lives.
