A tragic incident at a New York subway station claimed the lives of an Indian-origin woman and her Nepali-American friend, both aged 24, after they ended up on the tracks and were struck by an approaching train, as reported by NDTV.
According to NDTV, the victims were identified as Malaika Chitre, a resident of Dayton, New Jersey, and Navam Kaul, who was from Sayreville, New Jersey. The two had attended Rutgers University together.
A disturbing video of the incident has surfaced online, appearing to show the woman laughing and pulling the man toward her moments before an approaching subway train runs over them. According to reports cited by NDTV, the incident took place at the Spring Street subway station in lower Manhattan and involved a downtown No. 4 train travelling on the local tracks.
The exact circumstances that led to both individuals being on the tracks remain unclear. It has not been established who fell onto the tracks first. NDTV reported that both Chitre and Kaul died at the scene, with their bodies later recovered from beneath the third and fourth cars of the train.
However, according to a report by the New York Post that cited law enforcement sources, Kaul may have fallen onto the tracks first or may have made his way down onto the tracks inside the Spring Street station. Chitre reportedly went onto the tracks in an apparent attempt to help him.
Police were alerted to the incident at around 3:14 am on Sunday after the approaching train was unable to stop in time, according to reports cited by NDTV. Approximately 100 passengers were believed to be aboard the train when the incident occurred. The passengers were subsequently evacuated from the train onto the subway platform.
The incident has drawn attention after footage of the moments leading up to the tragedy emerged online. The video reportedly captures the two friends near the tracks shortly before the train approaches, although the footage does not establish exactly how either person came to be on the tracks.
According to the New York Daily News, as reported by NDTV, Navam Kaul had attended Rutgers Business School in New Brunswick from the fall of 2020 through the spring of 2024. However, records indicated that he had not received a degree from the university.
Malaika Chitre, meanwhile, graduated from Rutgers-New Brunswick School of Arts and Sciences in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Science degree, NDTV reported.
The two had studied at Rutgers University and were known to have shared a connection through the institution. Their deaths have since prompted condolences from the university community and those who knew them.
Their professional profiles also provided details about their careers after college. According to their LinkedIn profiles, Chitre was working as an operations specialist at Acadia Pharmaceuticals. Kaul was employed as a financial data analyst at Bloomberg.
The tragedy has left friends, former classmates and colleagues mourning the sudden deaths of the two young professionals.
Rutgers University also expressed sorrow after learning about the incident. "We are saddened to learn of the tragic death of these two former students," said Dory Devlin, assistant vice president of news and media relations at Rutgers.
The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths remains ongoing. Authorities have not publicly established the precise sequence of events that resulted in the two friends being on the tracks when the train approached.
The incident serves as another tragic reminder of the dangers of entering subway tracks, even when attempting to assist someone who may have fallen. NDTV reported that authorities were continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the fatal incident at the Spring Street station.