Last Updated:
Malaika Chitre and Navam Kaul were fatally struck by a southbound No. 4 train at the Spring Street station in Lower Manhattan at around 3.14am on Sunday
Malaika Chitre (left) and Navam Kaul (right) were fatally struck by a subway train in New York City. (Facebook)
Two 24-year-old friends from New Jersey, who were killed after being struck by a subway train in New York Citymay have been so disoriented that they failed to hear or understand that an approaching train was about to hit them, sources in law enforcement said on Tuesday.
Malaika Chitre and Navam Kaul were fatally struck by a southbound No. 4 train at the Spring Street station in Lower Manhattan at around 3.14am on Sunday, according to the New York Police Department.
The circumstances that put the two friends on the subway tracks remain unclear. Investigators are examining several possibilities, including whether one of them accidentally ended up on the tracks and the other followed in an attempt to help.
But the moments immediately before their deaths have raised even more questions.
According to the New York Post, surveillance footage showed Chitre and Kaul sitting on the tracks shortly before the train arrived. Law-enforcement sources told the newspaper that investigators are looking into whether the pair may have been so intoxicated or disoriented that they did not comprehend the danger they were in.
The train operator reportedly saw the pair on the tracks and attempted to stop, but there was not enough time to prevent the collision. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. Around 100 passengers were later evacuated from the train, according to reports.
What Happened On The Tracks?
An MTA account of the incident indicated that one of the two may have fallen onto the tracks, after which the other went down to help. The exact sequence remains under investigation.
According to the New York Post, the train operator told supervisors that Chitre appeared to be laughing as she tried to pull Kaul towards her. Surveillance footage also appeared to show the pair behaving calmly while they were on the tracks, rather than making an obvious attempt to get out of the way.
That behaviour has become a key part of investigators’ efforts to understand what happened in the final moments.
The possibility that alcohol or drugs contributed to the pair’s apparent lack of awareness has been raised by law-enforcement sources, but there has been no official finding that intoxication caused the deaths. Toxicology results have not been made public. The Times of India also reported that investigators have not established whether the incident was an accident, an attempted rescue, intoxication-related or intentional.
Suicide has also not been ruled out. However, sources cited by the New York Post said no suicide notes were found, and investigators have not publicly established that the deaths were intentional.
Who Were The Two Victims?
Chitre and Kaul were long-time friends and both graduated from Rutgers University in 2024.
Chitre was from the Dayton section of South Brunswick, New Jersey, while Kaul was from Sayreville. Local reports said they had known each other for years and were only beginning their professional careers.
Chitre 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 started pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Temple University in August 2026.
Kaul had graduated from Rutgers Business School with a degree in finance. He had been working as a financial data analyst at Bloomberg since May 2025, according to his professional profile cited by Patch.
Friends and acquaintances described the two as well-liked young professionals and expressed disbelief over their deaths. Their backgrounds have added to the mystery surrounding how two people with apparently established careers and academic plans ended up sitting on an active subway track in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Train Operator Tried To Stop
The No. 4 train was travelling southbound when it entered the Spring Street station shortly after 3am.
According to police accounts reported by local media, the operator saw the two people on the roadbed and tried to stop the train but could not prevent the collision. Police and emergency services responded following a 911 call at approximately 3.14am.
The two victims were pronounced dead at the scene. The incident temporarily disrupted subway service, and passengers aboard the train were evacuated.
Why Were They On The Tracks?
That remains the central unanswered question.
One possibility being examined is that Kaul accidentally fell or went onto the tracks and Chitre followed him in an attempt to help. Another possibility is that both deliberately went onto the tracks for a reason investigators have yet to determine.
The apparent calmness of the pair in the moments before the collision has also prompted questions about whether they were fully aware of their surroundings.
The New York Post report, citing law-enforcement sources, specifically raises the possibility that they may have been too drunk, high or otherwise disoriented to recognise the approaching danger.
The NYPD investigation remains ongoing, with authorities attempting to reconstruct the pair’s movements before they reached the tracks.
Investigators are expected to examine surveillance footage, witness accounts, the train operator’s statement and any available forensic or toxicology evidence to determine how the two ended up in the path of the train. For now, the precise reason remains unknown.
Quick Answers
Ask News18The victims were 24-year-old Malaika Chitre and Navam Kaul, both 2024 graduates of Rutgers University. Chitre was a quality operations specialist at Acadia Pharmaceuticals and a Doctor of Pharmacy student at Temple University, while Kaul worked as a financial data analyst at Bloomberg.
Ask News18About the Author
Apoorva Misra is an Associate Editor at News18.com with a keen interest in politics and current affairs. She loves uncovering fresh angles and telling stories through long-form features and explainers…Read More
New York, United States of America (USA)
September 15, 2026, 2:11 PM IST
Read More
Source link
[ad_3]
