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

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

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

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

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

What happened at the New York subway station?

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

The train operator told supervisors that she saw the two on the tracks and attempted to activate the emergency brake, but could not stop the train in time.

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

Around 100 passengers were evacuated from the train following the incident, according to the New York Daily News.

Investigators are still trying to establish why the two were on the tracks. Law enforcement sources told the New York Post that detectives were looking into whether intoxication could have played a role. Police have also reportedly not ruled out other possibilities, including suicide, although no suicide notes were found.

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

Friends remember Chitre, Kaul

The deaths have left friends and acquaintances struggling to understand what 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 had studied at Rutgers University and graduated around the same period.

Kaul's friends described him as outgoing, funny and well-liked.

Rajnikant Pipalia, whose daughter was a friend of Kaul, told the New York Post that Kaul was part of a close 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.

“There’s nothing in his life that would make him do anything stupid,” Pipalia added.

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

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

Chitre was also remembered warmly by people in her New Jersey neighbourhood. A neighbour described her as a bright and intelligent student who enjoyed spending time with children in the area.

“I was shocked when I heard about this,” the neighbour told the New York Post. “It’s just so weird. I’m still not understanding: why on the track?”

The NYPD's investigation remains underway as authorities work to establish what happened in the moments before the fatal collision.

About the Author

Anjali Thakur is a Senior Assistant Editor with Mint, reporting on trending news, entertainment and health, with a focus on stories driving digital conversations. Her work involves spotting early signals across news cycles and social media, sharpening stories for SEO and Google Discover, and mentoring young editors in digital-first newsroom practices. She is known for turning fast-moving developments—whether news-driven or culture-led—into clear, tightly edited journalism without compromising editorial rigour.<br><br> Before joining Mint, she was Deputy News Editor at NDTV.com, where she led the Trending section and covered viral news, breaking developments and human-interest stories. She has also worked as Chief Sub-Editor at India.com (Zee Media) and as Senior Correspondent with Exchange4media and Hindustan Times’ HT City, reporting on media, advertising, entertainment, health, lifestyle and popular culture.<br><br> Anjali holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miranda House, and is currently pursuing an MBA, strengthening her understanding of business strategy and digital media economics. Her writing balances newsroom discipline with a clear instinct for what resonates with readers.

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