IBNS-CMEDIA: An Indian-origin woman and her friend died after they were struck by a subway train while they were on the tracks at a station in Lower Manhattan, New York, media reports said.
The victims were identified as 24-year-old Navam Kaul and 24-year-old Malaika Chitre.
Kaul reportedly fell or made his way onto the tracks at the Spring Street subway station early Sunday, prompting Chitre to descend onto the tracks to help him, law-enforcement sources told the New York Post.
Chitre appeared to try to pull Kaul towards her before the pair were struck by an approaching No. 4 train at around 3:15 a.m., according to the sources.
The train operator reportedly told supervisors that Chitre appeared to be laughing as she attempted to pull Kaul away from the tracks.
Multiple videos that captured the final moments reportedly showed the two sitting on the tracks before the train approached. The operator did not have enough time to stop the train before it struck the pair, sources told the newspaper.
Investigators were examining whether alcohol or another form of intoxication may have impaired one or both victims’ judgment and prevented them from recognising the danger, according to the reports.
No suicide note was recovered from the scene, and authorities have not established a clear motive for why the two were on the tracks.
Kaul and Chitre reportedly graduated from Rutgers University in 2024.
A 60-year-old neighbour near Chitre’s family home remembered her as a vibrant and intelligent young woman who had grown up in the neighbourhood.
“She used to play with the kids on the block — a bright, smart girl,” the neighbour told the New York Post.
“I was shocked when I heard about this … It’s just so weird. I’m still not understanding: why on the track?” the neighbour added.
One of Kaul’s friends from Sayreville War Memorial High School described him as a “down-to-earth guy.”
“Whenever he was around, it was really good energy,” the friend told the New York Post. “He was really a cool guy — just down to earth, goofy, funny, and very charismatic as well. It’s just so shocking.”
Reacting to the deaths, Dory Devlin, assistant vice president of news and media relations at Rutgers University, told the New York Daily News: “We are saddened to learn of the tragic death of these two former students.”
According to the newspaper, around 100 passengers who were on the train at the time of the incident were evacuated.
The circumstances surrounding why Kaul and Chitre ended up on the tracks remain under investigation.
