BROOKLYN, NY — Police have arrested a Brooklyn man in connection with the fatal hit-and-run that killed former Nickelodeon star Kianna Underwood in Brownsville earlier this year. Authorities said the arrest came more than eight months after the crash that left the 33-year-old performer dead at the scene.
The NYPD said 72-year-old Michael Griffiths was taken into custody Tuesday and charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and leaving the scene of an accident with injury. Investigators said the case centers on a Jan. 16 collision at an intersection where Underwood was crossing the street.
NYPD says Underwood was hit by two vehicles at the intersection
According to police, the crash began when a black Ford Explorer SUV struck Underwood on the morning of Jan. 16. The NYPD said she was then hit again while lying in the street, this time by a black and gray sedan.
Police said Underwood was pronounced dead at the scene. No additional details about the drivers or the sequence of events were included in the information released Tuesday. The arrest marks the first public enforcement step announced in the case since the deadly collision in Brownsville.
Charges filed against 72-year-old Brooklyn resident Michael Griffiths
Griffiths, who lives in Brooklyn, was charged with two counts tied to leaving the scene, including the more serious allegation involving a death. The NYPD did not say in the statement how investigators identified him or whether any other people were charged.
The arrest was announced by police on Tuesday, but officials did not say in the statement where Griffiths was taken into custody. The charges reflect the department’s investigation into a crash that happened months before police publicly identified an arrest.
Underwood was best known for work on Nickelodeon and 'Hairspray'
Underwood had an entertainment career that began in childhood and included roles on Nickelodeon programs. She appeared in seven episodes of the sketch comedy series All That in 2005, according to the information released in the case.
From 1999 to 2004, she also voiced Fuchsia Glover on the Nick Jr. series Little Bill. In addition, she spent a year on the first national tour of Hairspray, playing Little Inez. Her last credited role was on All That.
Her television work helped connect her to a generation of viewers
All That was one of Nickelodeon’s signature children’s sketch shows and ran for more than a decade. During that period, it helped introduce young audiences to performers who later built major careers of their own.
The list of alumni from the show includes Nick Cannon, Kenan Thompson and Amanda Bynes. Underwood’s own credits were shorter, but they placed her within a network of performers associated with one of the channel’s best-known franchises.
Brownsville crash remains a painful reminder of a deadly morning
The Jan. 16 collision unfolded in Brownsville, where Underwood was crossing an intersection when police say she was first struck by an SUV and then hit again by a sedan. The NYPD has not released further details about the road conditions, witness accounts or whether the vehicles stayed at the scene.
What is clear from Tuesday’s announcement is that investigators have now made an arrest in a case that had remained open for more than eight months. For Underwood’s family, colleagues and former viewers, the charges bring a formal step in a crash that ended the life of a 33-year-old performer whose work reached millions of children.
