Two Young Indian Americans Killed on NYC Subway Tracks; Cause Remains Under Investigation
- Within hours of the deaths, speculation spread on social media that Navam Kaul and Malaika Chitre were a couple who died in a suicide pact. However, police have offered no evidence supporting this narrative.
Two 24-year-old Rutgers University graduates — Navam Kaul and Malaika Chitre — were struck and killed by a southbound Number 4 subway train near Canal Street station in lower Manhattan at approximately 3:15 a.m. on Sunday, September 13, 2026, according to police.
Both Kaul and Chitre died instantly at the scene. The train operator activated emergency brakes upon seeing the pair but could not stop in time, according to news reports.
Police have not determined why the two were on the tracks in the first place. “Police still cannot say why they were on the tracks,” according to Capitalism Institute reporting on the investigation.
The New York Post reported that “fellow passengers had filmed the pair on the tracks in the moments before the collision,” providing video evidence of their presence on the tracks but not clarifying the circumstances that led them there.
“Police are looking into whether drugs or alcohol played a role,” according to Capitalism Institute. “They have not ruled out that one or both may have been trying to take their own lives, though no suicide note has been found.”
Within hours of the deaths, speculation spread on social media that Kaul and Chitre were a couple who died in a suicide pact. However, police have offered no evidence supporting this narrative.
The deaths have drawn attention “not only because of the victims’ youth and promise but because investigators have yet to determine what brought them onto the tracks in the first place,”
“Police have offered no evidence supporting that claim. The two were friends, not a known couple, and investigators have found no note or other indication of a planned act,” according to Capitalism Institute reporting on police findings.
The report noted: “The rush to construct a narrative ahead of the investigation is a familiar pattern.”
Both Kaul and Chitre were building successful careers after graduating from Rutgers. Rajnikant Pipalia, a family friend, told the New York Post that members of Kaul’s friend group had all thrived after college.
“They all did college very well, studied, moved on to Fortune 500 companies,” Pipalia said, according to the New York Post. “There’s nothing in his life that would make him do anything stupid,” Pipalia added, pushing back against suggestions that Kaul had personal reasons to harm himself.
The cause of their deaths and why they were on the subway tracks remains under investigation by the New York Police Department. Police have not released additional details about the circumstances surrounding the incident.
According to amNY news, the incident occurred at the lower Manhattan station during early morning hours when the subway was less crowded.
The deaths have drawn attention “not only because of the victims’ youth and promise but because investigators have yet to determine what brought them onto the tracks in the first place,” according to Capitalism Institute.
If you are thinking about suicide, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988. Crisis Text Line is available by texting HOME to 741741.
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