Indian-origin woman, friend killed by New York subway train in apparent rescue attempt
Indian-origin woman, friend killed in NYC rescue bid
Two Indian nationals, aged 24, were tragically killed when a New York subway train struck them on the tracks in Lower Manhattan. The victims, Malaika Chitre from Newark and Navam Kaul from Sayreville, were identified as former Rutgers University students.
The incident occurred at the Spring Street subway station in the early hours of Sunday, September 13, 2026. Chitre and Kaul had apparently ended up on the tracks, with Chitre attempting to pull Kaul towards safety as the train approached. Despite the train operator activating the emergency brakes, the train was unable to stop in time.
About 100 passengers were on the subway at the time of the collision, which occurred around 3:14 am. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority stated that Chitre was seen trying to pull Kaul towards her before the train arrived. The precise sequence of events leading up to the tragedy remains unclear.
Chitre had graduated from Rutgers-New Brunswick School of Arts and Sciences with a Bachelor of Science degree in May 2024, and was employed as an operations specialist at Acadia Pharmaceuticals. Kaul had attended Rutgers Business School, where he studied from autumn 2020 to spring 2024, and worked as a financial data analyst at Bloomberg.
"We are saddened to learn of the tragic death of these two former students," said Dory Devlin, Rutgers' assistant vice president of news and media relations. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident is ongoing.
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