Young man and woman killed on subway tracks<\/p>\n
Two 24-year-old New Jersey residents and longtime friends were hit and killed<\/a> on the subway tracks by an oncoming train in Manhattan.\u00a0<\/p>\n The friends<\/a>, Malaika Chitre from Dayton and Navam Kaul from Sayreville, were hit by a southbound No. 4 train at Spring Street station at approximately 3:15 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13. Both recent graduates of Rutgers University, the two were beginning their careers, with Chitre working as an operations specialist for Acadia Pharmaceuticals and Kaul as a financial data analyst at Bloomberg.\u00a0<\/p>\n Officers arrived to find the two on the tracks, and although emergency services were called, they were pronounced dead at the scene. According to an MTA report obtained by the New York Daily News<\/a>, Kaul appeared to hit his head after falling on the tracks and the other jumped down to help. In video footage of their last moments that was posted on social media, the pair appeared to be calmly sitting and hugging. About 100 passengers were evacuated from the train, according to the report.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey grew up in the same world,\u201d Rajnikant Pipalia, one of Kaul\u2019s family friends, told the New York Post<\/a>. \u201cThey\u2019re all part of the same friends circle, the same South Asian group hanging out together, enjoying the same festivals.\u201d<\/p>\n Investigators are still looking into the matter, and are trying to determine if alcohol was involved. Authorities do not believe it was a double suicide.\u00a0<\/p>\n NYC rolls out public bathrooms with a 10-minute limit<\/p>\n New York City has started to install 17 new high-tech public bathrooms<\/a> across all five boroughs with doors that automatically open after 10 minutes.<\/p>\n Rolled out as part of a $4 million pilot program, two of the bathrooms have already opened<\/a>, with the rest set to launch within the next few months. With the intention to expand clean and convenient public bathrooms across the city, they give users a strict time limit, with audio and visual warnings including flashing lights to tell them that their time is almost up.\u00a0<\/p>\n The final warning comes at 10 minutes, with an automated voice saying \u201cAttention: Your use time has expired. The door is opening now,\u201d in English and Spanish, before the doors automatically open after a short delay. If a user refuses to leave the bathroom after the allotted time, officials from the company Throne Labs will be alerted to check the matter.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cToo many New Yorkers know what it\u2019s like to have nowhere to go while they\u2019re on the go,\u201d Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a press conference in Long Island City on Wednesday. \u201cThis pilot is about making sure New Yorkers can count on a clean, safe, accessible bathroom when they need one.\u201d<\/p>\n The bathrooms can be opened either by using specialized tap cards distributed by community partners, or with a smartphone by texting a number, scanning a QR code, or accessing the Throne Bathroom Network app. Open everyday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., they are ADA accessible, fully touchless, climate controlled and come with free pad dispensers and a baby changing station. They also run independently of the city\u2019s sewer system, making them cheaper to install than traditional public bathrooms.<\/p>\n The first bathrooms were installed at Fulton Street and Truxton Street in Brooklyn and at 34th Avenue and 64th Street in Queens, and the rest will follow in the coming months.<\/p>\n Teenage girl killed in East Village truck crash<\/p>\n A teenage girl was killed and another injured in the East Village after being struck by a truck<\/a> while riding a bike on Friday night.<\/p>\n Daria Serkov, 15, and the unidentified 16-year-old were turning north on First Avenue and 14th Street on a Citi Bike just as the commercial truck was making a right turn onto First Avenue at roughly 9 p.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n Both were rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where Serkov was pronounced dead and the 16-year-old remains in an injured but stable condition. The 57-year-old truck driver remained on the scene and cooperated with the police, and no arrests have been made.<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely horrifying,\u201d state Assembly Member Keith Powers, who represents the area, wrote on X<\/a>. \u201cMy thoughts are with the two victims and their families. We must do everything we can to increase safety on our streets and ensure nothing like this ever happens again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Both girls were on the bike at the same time, which was crushed in the accident. The 16-year-old was steering, while Serkov rode as a passenger. A vigil<\/a> was held on Saturday for Serkov, with candles and flowers placed at the scene of the crash. According to CBS, the organizers<\/a> say they raised $20,000 for Serkov\u2019s family. The investigation of the crash remains ongoing.<\/p>\n