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, as investigators continued to determine how they ended up on the tracks.
According to police, Malaika Chitre, an Indian-origin woman from Dayton, New Jersey, and Navam Kaul of Sayreville were hit by a southbound No. 4 train at around 3:14 am. The two of them declared dead at the spot. Chitre and Kaul had been longtime friends and were among the 2024 graduates of Rutgers University.
A video recorded by a bystander and widely circulated online appears to show the two individuals sitting on the tracks shortly before the train arrived. However, the footage does not reveal what occurred before that moment or explain how the pair ended up on the tracks.
Citing police sources, the New York Post reported that investigators are examining whether either Kaul or Chitre was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the incident.
Authorities have also searched for a suicide note in an effort to determine why the two were on the tracks. Although no note has been recovered, investigators have not ruled out the possibility of suicide.
A Metropolitan Transportation Authority report on the incident stated that it remains unclear whether the man or the woman initially fell onto the tracks.
However, the report suggests that the second victim entered the tracks in an apparent attempt to help the other person up.
The train operator told officials that she saw “a man and a woman sitting on the track.” She said the woman was laughing and pulling the man towards her when the train struck them.
Around 100 passengers were on board the train at the time of the incident. Following the collision, they were evacuated onto the platform.
Bureau Report
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