They Were Hugging And Kissing, Then Tragedy Struck: New Details Revealed In NYC Subway Train Deaths

New details have emerged about the deaths of Malaika Chitre and Navam Kaul, two 24-year-old friends fatally struck by a No. 4 subway train in New York. Law-enforcement sources say they were seen hugging and kissing before Kaul fell onto the tracks.

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NYC subway deaths: Fresh details emerge

New details have emerged about the final moments of Malaika Chitre and Navam Kaul, the two 24-year-old longtime friends who were fatally struck by a subway train in New York City.

According to a New York Post report citing law-enforcement sources, Chitre, an Indian-origin woman from New Jersey, and Kaul, who was of Nepali descent, were seen hugging and kissing on the platform shortly before they ended up on the tracks. What happened in the moments that followed remains under investigation.

SAD: Investigators say man and woman, Navam Kaul and Malaika Chitre, both 24, killed by subway in lower Manhattan on September 13, 2026, were hugging and kissing before falling to tracks. pic.twitter.com/1KPW4D5nGV

— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) September 18, 2026

The pair were hit by a southbound No. 4 train at Spring Street station in Lower Manhattan at about 3:15am on Sunday. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

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What happened before the train arrived?

Law-enforcement sources told the New York Post that Chitre and Kaul were together on the platform before the tragedy. They were reportedly seen hugging and kissing.

#BREAKING A couple sitting on the Manhattan subway tracks was tragically struck and killed by a southbound 4 train early Sunday. #NewYork #Subway #NYC #BreakingNews @NYPDNews @MTA pic.twitter.com/NCFr8RYDTv

— jarvis ☠️ (@Vishii14) September 14, 2026

Kaul then appeared to lose his balance and fall onto the tracks, hitting his head, according to the sources. Chitre subsequently went down onto the tracks, apparently trying to help her friend.

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What does surveillance footage show

However, authorities have not publicly confirmed that this was exactly how the two ended up on the tracks. Available surveillance footage shows the pair on the tracks shortly before the train arrived, but it does not establish what happened immediately before that.

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Train operator tried to stop

The No. 4 train was carrying around 100 passengers when it entered the station. According to an incident report cited by US media, the train operator told supervisors that she saw a man and woman sitting on the tracks and tried to stop.

Emergency braking could not prevent the collision. Four cars of the 10-car train entered the station before it stopped, according to the New York Post. Passengers were later evacuated onto the platform.

Victims Malaika Chitre and Navam Kaul were found beneath the third and fourth cars.

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What train operator said on the incident

The train operator’s account has added another detail. The New York Post reported that she said the woman appeared to be laughing and pulling the man towards her shortly before the train struck them.

The footage also appears to show the two sitting on the tracks shortly before the train arrived. But it does not explain how they reached the tracks or why they remained there.

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Were alcohol or drugs involved?

Investigators are also examining whether alcohol or drugs may have played a role.

Police sources told the New York Post that they were looking into whether the pair could have been intoxicated and therefore failed to understand the danger of remaining on an active subway track.

There is no established finding that alcohol or drugs caused the deaths. Authorities have not publicly confirmed intoxication as the reason for the incident.

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Did Malaika Chitre and Navam Kaul die by suicide

Sources also told the New York Post that they do not believe the deaths were a double suicide. Earlier reports had said investigators had not determined whether the incident was accidental or intentional.

The NYPD investigation remains ongoing.

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Who were Malaika Chitre and Navam Kaul?

Chitre and Kaul were longtime friends from neighbouring communities in New Jersey and both attended Rutgers University.

Chitre, from Dayton, New Jersey, graduated from Rutgers-New Brunswick in 2024. Her LinkedIn profile and media reports said she earned a Bachelor of Science degree and later worked as a quality operations specialist at Acadia Pharmaceuticals.

She had recently begun a four-year Doctor of Pharmacy programme at Temple University.

Kaul, from Sayreville, New Jersey, attended Rutgers. Reports said he studied at Rutgers Business School between 2020 and 2024 and later worked as a financial data analyst at Bloomberg.

The two remained part of the same South Asian social circle, according to people who knew them. A family friend told the New York Post that they had grown up in similar communities, shared friends and took part in the same festivals.

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Friends struggle to understand tragedy

Rajnikant Pipalia, whose son was a close friend of Kaul, told the New York Post that the two had grown up in the same social environment.

“They grew up in the same world,” Pipalia said, describing them as part of the same group of South Asian friends who spent time together and celebrated festivals.

Speaking about Kaul, Pipalia also said there was nothing in his life that, in his view, would have suggested he would deliberately do something reckless.

A former school friend described Kaul as down-to-earth, goofy, funny and charismatic. A neighbour who knew Chitre’s family remembered her as a bright and smart young woman.

Rutgers University also expressed sadness over the deaths of the two former students.

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What does the video show?

The video that has circulated widely online shows Chitre and Kaul on the subway tracks shortly before the No. 4 train approached.

The footage captures their final moments, but it does not provide a complete explanation. It does not show conclusively whether Kaul fell first, whether either person deliberately entered the tracks, or whether Chitre went down after him in an attempt to help.

New York City subway train- 
Indian origin Malaika Chitre & Navam Kaul were sitting on the tracks.

Malaika Chitre(24), and her Nepali-American friend, Navam Kaul, were killed after a subway train struck them at Manhattan's Spring Street station on Sunday. 

The train operator… pic.twitter.com/gioI31STFu

— SK Chakraborty (@sanjoychakra) September 19, 2026

The latest account from law-enforcement sources suggests Kaul may have fallen and Chitre may have followed him. That remains an investigative account rather than a final determination by authorities.

Investigators are still trying to establish why the two friends were on the tracks, whether intoxication was involved and what happened between their time on the platform and the arrival of the train.

The NYPD investigation remains ongoing.