Indian-origin woman, friend die in New York subway, trying to save each other - The Indian Express
Two 24-year-old friends from New Jersey were killed after being struck by a subway train at Manhattan’s Spring Street station early Sunday, with investigators still trying to establish how they ended up on the tracks. Malaika Chitre, an Indian-origin woman from Dayton, New Jersey, and Navam Kaul, from Sayreville, were struck by a southbound No. 4 train at about 3:14am, according to police. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
The pair were longtime friends and 2024 Rutgers University graduates. Chitre worked at Acadia Pharmaceuticals and had recently begun pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Temple University, while Kaul graduated from Rutgers Business School with a degree in finance and worked as a financial data analyst at Bloomberg.
A video recorded by a bystander and shared widely online appears to show the two sitting on the tracks shortly before the train arrived. The video does not establish what happened before that moment or how the pair came to be on the tracks.
COUPLE REFUSE TO MOVE as TRAIN BEARS DOWN on MANHATTAN SUBWAY TRACKS — BOTH KILLED pic.twitter.com/MdDKSbnOL9
Officers were called to the station after reports that two people needed help, according to the New York Daily News. They found Chitre and Kaul had already been struck. About 100 passengers on the train were taken off safely and moved to the platform, the New York Daily News reported.
The exact sequence of events is still being worked out. Citing law enforcement sources, the New York Post reported that one of the two may have fallen or climbed onto the tracks first, and the other went down to help. The train operator later told supervisors that she saw the pair sitting on the tracks and tried to use the emergency brake, but could not stop in time, according to the New York Post.
Investigators are looking into whether the two had been drinking and did not realise the danger in time, American media reports said. Officials say no note was found, though they have not ruled out that the deaths may not have been accidental.
Chitre and Kaul both studied at Rutgers University and graduated around the same time, the New York Daily News reported. Kaul attended Rutgers Business School in New Brunswick from 2020 but did not complete his degree. Chitre earned a Bachelor of Science from Rutgers’ School of Arts and Sciences in May 2024.
Chitre worked as an operations specialist at Acadia Pharmaceuticals, while Kaul worked as a financial data analyst at Bloomberg, according to their LinkedIn profiles.
A 24-year-old woman and a man believed to be in his 20s were killed after being struck by a southbound 4 train at Manhattan’s Spring Street station around 3:14 a.m. Sunday.The pair were on the roadbed as the train entered the station, and the operator was unable to stop in… pic.twitter.com/h7u7FuoRev
A university spokesperson, Dory Devlin, said Rutgers was saddened to learn of the deaths of the two former students.
People who knew Kaul described him as friendly and well liked. A family friend said he came from a close social circle within the South Asian community, adding there was nothing in his life that suggested he would do anything reckless. Kaul’s family is of Nepali descent; his parents moved to the US from Nepal about thirty years ago.
A former schoolmate from Sayreville War Memorial High School remembered him as down to earth, goofy and funny. A neighbour of Chitre’s family recalled her as bright and said she used to spend time with children in the area, adding that she was struggling to understand why the two were on the tracks.
The NYPD said its investigation into the deaths is continuing.
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