Mystery Deepens After Two 24-Year-Old Friends Were Found Sitting on NYC Subway Tracks Before Fatal Collision

The young woman and man are seen on the tracks as a subway barrels towards them.

Two 24-year-old friends who were struck by a New York City subway train may have been so disoriented that they failed to recognize the danger until it was too late, according to law-enforcement sources.

Navam Kaul and Malaika Chitre were sitting on the tracks at Manhattan’s Spring Street station when an approaching No. 4 train struck them at around 3:15 a.m. Sunday.

Investigators are now trying to reconstruct how the pair ended up on the tracks — and whether intoxication may have played a role in the baffling sequence of events.

Chitre reportedly went onto the tracks to help Kaul

Malaika Chitre was ID’d as the woman in the tragic incident.TikTok/mal

According to law-enforcement sources, Kaul either fell or made his way onto the tracks first.

Chitre then reportedly climbed down in an apparent attempt to help him.

As the train approached, she appeared to pull Kaul toward her while the pair remained on the track bed.

The train operator later told supervisors that Chitre appeared to be laughing as she pulled Kaul, according to sources.

Footage capturing their final moments also reportedly showed the pair appearing remarkably calm despite the approaching train.

The operator was unable to stop in time.

Investigators examine whether the pair understood the danger

Chitre, pictured, reportedly made her way onto the tracks to help the man, identified as Navam Kaul, 24.Facebook/Malaika Chitre

One of the central questions investigators are examining is why neither Kaul nor Chitre appeared to react to the approaching train until it was too late.

Law-enforcement sources said detectives were looking into whether one or both may have been heavily intoxicated and therefore unable to fully understand the seriousness of their situation.

That possibility has not been established as fact, and investigators have not publicly announced a definitive explanation for their behavior.

Authorities were also considering whether the incident could have been intentional. However, sources said no suicide notes were discovered, and no motive had been established.

Final moments leave unanswered questions

The circumstances are particularly puzzling because video from the station reportedly showed Kaul and Chitre sitting calmly together on the tracks shortly before the collision.

Combined with the train operator’s account that Chitre appeared to be laughing while pulling Kaul toward her, the footage has become a key part of efforts to understand what happened during the pair’s final moments.

Navam Kaul in an undated photo. Kaul and Malaika Chitre were struck and killed by a subway train early Sunday.Facebook/Navam Kaul

Investigators are still working to determine whether intoxication, confusion or another factor explains why they remained in such a dangerous position.

The city medical examiner had not provided additional information about the deaths at the time of the report.

Workers gather after two were fatally struck by a subway train at the Spring Street – Lafayette Street 6 train subway station in New York, NY, on Sept. 10, 2026.Christopher Sadowski for NY Post

For now, the crucial question remains unresolved: what happened before Kaul ended up on the tracks — and why did neither of the two 24-year-olds appear to recognize the approaching danger until there was no time left to escape?