New York: In a strange incident, two young Indian-origin persons were run-over and killed by a subway train at a station in New York on Sunday.
A strange video has emerged, showing the two sitting on the tracks, even as the train approaches. The police are probing all angles.
The victims, both 24, were identified as Malaika Chitre of Dayton, New Jersey, and Navam Kaul of Sayreville, New Jersey. Both had previously attended Rutgers University, the New York Daily News reported.
The incident occurred shortly after 3.15 am at Spring Street station when a southbound No 4 train was arriving.
An initial Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) report said that the train operator told supervisors that she “saw a man and woman sitting on the track.”
“The woman was laughing and pulling the male toward her when the train came in contact,” the report further said.
Investigators are still trying to establish how the two ended up on the tracks and which of them got there first, as reported by News18.
One possibility is that Kaul may have fallen or gone onto the tracks before Chitre climbed down in an apparent attempt to help him, law enforcement officials said. Chitre was seen trying to pull him towards her shortly before the train arrived, according to MTA.
A video circulating online shows the pair on the tracks as the train approaches. The circumstances captured in the footage are now part of the investigation.
Authorities are also examining whether alcohol or intoxication played a role in the incident. According to the New York Post, investigators are considering whether either victim may have been too intoxicated to fully comprehend the approaching danger.
No suicide note has been found, although investigators have not ruled out any possibility as they determine what led to the deaths.
The train spotted the duo and applied emergency brakes but could not stop the train in time. Four of the 10 cars had entered the station when the train came to a halt, the New York Daily News Reported.
Kaul and Chitre died at the scene. Their bodies were later recovered from beneath the third and fourth cars of the train.
Around 100 passengers were aboard the subway at the time and were subsequently evacuated onto the platform.
Chitre and Kaul had both studied at Rutgers University, the university confirmed.
Kaul attended Rutgers Business School in New Brunswick between fall 2020 and spring 2024, although he did not receive a degree. Chitre graduated from Rutgers-New Brunswick School of Arts and Sciences with a Bachelor of Science degree in May 2024.
“We are saddened to learn of the tragic death of these two former students,” said Dory Devlin, assistant vice president of news and media relations at Rutgers.