"the woman was laughing and pulling the male towards her"
New Yorkers watched in horror as two young friends were killed by an oncoming subway train.
Malaika Chitre and Navam Kaul, both aged 24, were struck by a southbound Number 4 train at Spring Street station at around 3:15 am on September 13.
Police said both were pronounced dead at the scene.
Footage from the station appeared to show the pair sitting together on the tracks shortly before the train arrived.
It is reported that the train operator attempted to use the emergency brake but could not stop the train in time.
She told her supervisors that “the woman was laughing and pulling the male towards her when the train came into contact”.
NYPD detectives are investigating whether Malaika and Navam may have been so intoxicated they didn’t realise until too late that a train was coming towards them but they also hadn’t ruled out suicide.
Friends have spoken about their shock at the deaths.
Navam’s friend Rajnikant Pipalia said: “There’s nothing in his life that would make him do anything stupid.”
Speaking about the friends, Rajnikant added: “They grew up in the same world.
“They’re all part of the same friends circle, the same South Asian group hanging out together, enjoying the same festivals.”
A neighbour near Malaika’s family home fondly remembered her as a vibrant high school student:
“She used to play with the kids on the block – a bright, smart girl.
“I was shocked when I heard about this… It’s just so weird. I’m still not understanding: why on the track?”
Both had graduated from Rutgers University in 2024 and were beginning their professional careers.
Navam worked as a financial data analyst at Bloomberg, while Malaika worked as a quality operations specialist at Acadia Pharmaceuticals and had begun pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Temple University, according to their LinkedIn profiles.
Navam was from Sayreville, New Jersey, while Malaika was from Dayton.
Their deaths have left friends and members of their wider South Asian community mourning two young people who had recently completed university and started their careers.
The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation, with authorities yet to establish exactly how the pair came to be on the subway tracks.
