Two Indian origin 24-year-old friends from New Jersey, Malaika Chitre and Navam Kaul, were fatally struck by a New York City subway train after they were seen sitting on the tracks at Manhattan’s Spring Street station early Sunday,a s per a TOI report. The pair, both recent Rutgers University graduates, were hit by a southbound No. 4 train shortly after 3 am, with investigators still trying to establish what led them onto the tracks.
The New York Police Department said officers responded to a report of two people needing assistance at about 3:14 am on September 13. Emergency responders found Chitre and Kaul on the roadbed after they had been struck, and both were pronounced dead at the scene. Around 100 passengers were later evacuated from the train, according to reports.
CCTV and train report shed light on final moments
An incident report obtained by the New York Daily News said the train operator told supervisors she saw a man and woman sitting on the tracks as the train approached. She attempted to stop the train but could not prevent the collision.
The report said Chitre appeared to be laughing and pulling Kaul towards her shortly before the train hit them. Video circulating on social media also appeared to show the pair sitting together on the tracks before the train arrived.
