Indian-origin woman, girlfriend killed after NYC subway train hits them on tracks, video of incident surfaces

A 24-year-old Indian-origin woman and her boyfriend have died after being hit by a subway train in the early hours of the morning at a station in Lower Manhattan, New York.

Malaika Chitraof Dayton, New Jersey, and Navam Kaulof Sayreville, New Jersey, were on the tracks at the Spring Street subway station when they were struck by the southbound No. 4 train around 3:15 a.m., according to the New York Police Department (NYPD), as reported by the New York Post.

A video shot by a bystander and later shared on social media appears to show the two sitting on the tracks shortly before the train arrived.

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The circumstances leading to their presence on the tracks remain unclear and are now being investigated by the police.

What happened at the subway station in New York?

According to law enforcement sources cited by the New York Post, one of the two women may have fallen or climbed onto the tracks, while the other apparently fell after her.

The train operator told supervisors that she saw the two on the tracks and tried to apply the emergency brake, but was unable to stop the train in time.

Police officers were called to the station after reports of two people requiring assistance. They found Chitre and Kaul on the tracks after they were hit. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the New York Daily News, around 100 passengers were evacuated from the train after the incident.

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Investigators are still trying to determine why the two were on the tracks. Law enforcement sources told the New York Post that detectives were investigating whether intoxication may have played a role. Police also reportedly did not rule out other possibilities, including suicide, although no suicidal notes were found.

There is currently no confirmed explanation for what led to the incident.

Friends remember Chitre, Kaul

The death left friends and acquaintances scrambling to understand what had happened.

Chitre worked as an operations specialist at Acadia Pharmaceuticals, while Kaul was a financial data analyst at Bloomberg, according to their LinkedIn profiles. Both attended Rutgers University and graduated around the same time.

Kaul’s friends described him as sociable, funny and popular.

Rajnikant Pipalia, whose daughter was Kaul’s friend, told the New York Post that Kaul was part of a tight-knit South Asian social circle.

“They grew up in the same world,” Pipalia said, describing the group as friends who spent time together and celebrated festivals.

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“There is nothing in his life that would make him do something stupid,” added Pipalia.

Pipalia said Kaul was of Nepali descent and that his parents had moved to the U.S. from Nepal about three decades ago.

A former classmate at Sayreville War Memorial High School remembered Kaul as “down to earth” as well as “goofy, funny and very charismatic”.

Chitra was also fondly remembered by people in her New Jersey neighborhood. A neighbor described her as a bright and intelligent student who enjoys spending time with children in the area.

“I was shocked when I heard about it,” a neighbor told the New York Post. “It’s so strange. I still don’t understand: why on the track?”

The NYPD investigation is ongoing as authorities work to determine what happened in the moments before the fatal collision.