A 72-year-old man has been indicted on charges that he struck and killed former Nickelodeon child star Kianna Underwood with his SUV before driving away, then abandoning the vehicle without stopping to help — nearly nine months after the early-morning crash on Pitkin Avenue in Brownsville. Michael Griffiths was arraigned this week on charges including leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, pleaded not guilty, and was released without bail. He is due back in court on October 27.
Underwood, 33, died at the scene near Pitkin Avenue and Osborn Street after being struck around 6:50 a.m. on January 16 while crossing in the crosswalk against the light near Mother Gaston Boulevard, according to the New York Daily News. Griffiths, driving a 2021 black Ford Explorer, allegedly veered over the double yellow line while maneuvering around a turning vehicle and struck Underwood, per the same report. He told the Daily News he pulled over because he felt like he had hit something, then left before officers arrived because he said he needed to take his medication and felt like he was going to faint. Police reportedly took days to track him down, and he refused to answer investigators' questions once they did.
The crash was more complicated than a single impact. Surveillance footage and NYPD reports indicate Underwood was struck in rapid succession by two separate vehicles — first by Griffiths' Explorer, and then by an unidentified black-and-gray sedan that ran over her and dragged her body for more than two blocks, according to CBS News New York. That second driver has never been identified and remains at large.
Eight-Month Gap Between Impound and Indictment
Police impounded Griffiths' SUV, but initially released him without charges because they lacked immediate evidence proving who was behind the wheel at the time of the crash, CBS News New York reported. He invoked his right to counsel and declined to speak with detectives at the time. The vehicle had reportedly been ticketed for 41 violations, including 25 for speeding, according to the Daily News.
The delay reflects a genuine legal hurdle. Under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 600(2)(c), leaving the scene of an accident involving a death or severe injury can be a Class D felony when aggravating factors are present, such as alcohol, and can carry up to seven years in prison, according to The Law Office of Matthew Galluzzo, PLLC. Prosecutors must prove a driver knew or reasonably should have known a collision occurred — a standard that intersects directly with Griffiths' account that he only felt like he hit something in low-light, early-morning conditions, as he told reporters in late January, according to the New York Personal Injury Attorneys Blog. Griffiths has said he did nothing wrong.
A Child Star Who Never Stopped Working
Underwood first appeared on film in 1999's The 24 Hour Woman, per the Daily News, before landing a recurring spot in seven episodes of Nickelodeon's sketch comedy hit All That. She later voiced Fuchsia Glover, the title character's imaginative cousin, in more than 20 episodes of the animated series Little Bill between 1999 and 2004, according to TV Tropes. Underwood also joined the first national touring cast of Hairspray, the Daily News reported.
Her post-Nickelodeon years were harder. In November 2023, former All That castmate Angelique Bates posted an Instagram video saying Underwood was homeless and needed help, and that fundraising alone would not be enough — proper assistance, she said, required a plan, according to TMZ. Local shopkeepers in Brownsville had periodically given Underwood food and money before the crash, per the same report.
Underwood's death was the first of two losses among former All That cast members in 2026. In August, 46-year-old Christy Knowings died from complications following an asthma attack, as Hoodline previously reported.
Pitkin Avenue's Repeated Close Calls
The crash adds to a troubling run of pedestrian incidents along the Pitkin Avenue corridor in 2026. In September, a 13-year-old boy was hospitalized with head injuries after being struck while crossing Pitkin Avenue in Brownsville, and no charges had been filed as of that report.
Citywide, the picture looks different. New York City recorded 46 pedestrian fatalities in the first half of 2026, according to the NYC Department of Transportation.
For now, Griffiths awaits his next court date on October 27, while the driver of the sedan that dragged Underwood for two blocks remains unidentified.
