New York: A 24-year-old Indian-origin woman and her Nepali-American male friend were killed after being struck by a subway train while they were sitting on the tracks at a station in Lower Manhattan.
Malaika Chitre, from Dayton, New Jersey and Navam Kaul, from Sayreville, New Jersey, were on the roadbed 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 Post, citing the New York Police Department (NYPD).
Moments Of Death Caught On Cam
A video recorded by a bystander and widely circulated on social media appears to show the two individuals sitting on the tracks shortly before the train approached.
According to sources cited by The New York Post, the train operator told supervisors that she saw them on the tracks and attempted to activate the emergency brake, but was unable to stop the train in time. The operator reportedly said Chitre appeared to be laughing as she pulled Kaul towards her while the two were sitting on the tracks.
According to reports citing law enforcement sources, one of them may have either fallen or climbed onto the tracks, prompting the other to go down and assist the other one. However, investigators are still examining the circumstances that led to both of them remaining on the tracks.
Police officers responded after receiving reports of two people requiring assistance at the station. They found Chitre and Kaul on the tracks after they had been struck by the train. Both were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Around 100 passengers were evacuated from the train following the incident, according to the New York Daily News.
The reason why the two were on the tracks remains unclear. Law enforcement sources told The New York Post that detectives were investigating whether alcohol or another form of intoxication may have played a role and whether they understood the danger they were in. Investigators reportedly found no suicide notes, although they have not ruled out suicide as a possible explanation. The NYPD said the investigation remains ongoing.
Chitre worked as an operations specialist at Acadia Pharmaceuticals, while Kaul was employed as a financial data analyst at Bloomberg, according to their LinkedIn profiles. Both women were Rutgers University alumni and graduated from the university around the same time.
