An Indian-origin woman and her Nepali-origin female friend met their death following an encounter with a New York City subway train early Sunday, September 13. The women were revealed to be 24-year-old Malaika Chitre and 24-year-old Navam Kaul, who were from New Jersey and had graduated from Rutgers University in 2024.
As per the report from the police and locals, both women were seen on the tracks at the Spring Street station of Lower Manhattan at around 3:14 a.m., when the southbound No. 4 train was entering the station. It is reported that the train operator saw the women on the tracks and tried to stop it; however, it could not stop in time and they both were declared dead.
Social media posts have suggested that a video showing Chitre and Kaul sitting on the tracks before the arrival of the train was circulated online. Nevertheless, it is still unknown why the women were sitting on the tracks and how they reached there.
Who Was Malaika Chitre?
Malaika Chitre hailed from Dayton, an area in South Brunswick, New Jersey. She attained her high school diploma from South Brunswick High School in 2020 and later received a bachelor’s degree in public health with a minor in business administration from Rutgers University in 2024.
After graduating from the university, Chitre worked as a quality operations specialist at Acadia Pharmaceuticals which is a pharmaceutical company located in Princeton, New Jersey.
Moreover, she had lately commenced studying for her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Temple University in Philadelphia, according to her professional profile. It was reported that she had joined the program in August 2026, a few days before her demise.
While attending university, Chitre was active in the various activities within the university and within the community. Her sudden death has left many of her friends and acquaintances shocked as she was still starting out in her career and education.
Who Was Navam Kaul?
The second victim, Navam Kaul, was born in Sayreville, New Jersey, just like Chitre, and graduated from Rutgers University in 2024. Navam Kaul majored in finance at the Rutgers Business School and after that worked as a financial data analyst at Bloomberg in New York. Based on local news, he had been employed by Bloomberg since May 2025.
The Kauls had migrated to the United States from Nepal, which made Navam Kaul a person of Nepali ethnicity. The two men were close friends, being part of the same South Asian circle. They were both considered to be promising young professionals who had recently graduated from college and were building their careers.
How Did Malaika Chitre And Navam Kaul Die?
The order of events continues to be investigated. Police revealed that Chitre and Kaul had been spotted on the tracks prior to the arrival of south-bound Number 4 train at the Spring Street station. The train driver reported to police that he saw both a man and a woman sitting on the rails, and attempted to stop the train.
According to the incident report as quoted in local media reports, the train driver said that Chitre seemed to be laughing and trying to pull Kaul when the train ran into them, and the train could not stop in time.
The MTA report showed that either of them may have fallen onto the tracks or gone down there, while the other tried to help him or her. Nevertheless, who first entered the tracks and for what purpose remains unconfirmed yet.
The video taken just prior to the accident seems to show the couple sitting on the tracks, but this raises questions about what happened just prior to the train coming, though it cannot confirm their intentions.
What Is The Latest Update In The NYC Subway Case?
The investigation conducted by NYPD is ongoing. It involves looking into videos, testimonies from witnesses, the statement made by the train driver, and other pieces of evidence to determine how the accident happened.
The identity of the deceased has been established; there are also pieces of information regarding their educational and professional background. But the key question that has remained unanswered is why Chitre and Kaul chose to sit on the subway tracks before the arrival of the train.
The case has received much media attention due to the existence of a video showing two people sitting on the tracks right before the deadly accident occurred. The investigators will have to find out the chronology of events in order to establish the cause of the death, be it an accident, some form of impairment, or something else. In this case, there has been no official confirmation of the cause of the deaths thus far.
NYC Subway Safety: How Common Are Train-Struck Incidents?
The case has drawn attention to the dangers posed to those individuals accessing the subway tracks. According to MTA records in several reports, individuals being run over by trains is still an urgent safety concern in the city of New York. In 2025, 228 individuals were wounded as a result of being hit by trains or because of falling in between subway cars; 89 deaths have been reported in the year.
This current case of Chitre and Kaul should be examined not only as an accident involving two recently graduated students from Rutgers but also as the safety risk of accessing subway tracks in New York City. The investigation is ongoing, and more information on why the two friends ended up at the subway tracks will come forth.
