BROOKLYN, NY. (THECOUNT) — Michael Griffiths, 72, has been arrested and charged in connection with the fatal hit-and-run that killed former Nickelodeon child star Kianna Underwood, 33, in Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood, according to the New York Police Department.
Griffiths faces charges of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and leaving the scene of an accident with injury, police said. He was arrested Tuesday morning, more than eight months after Underwood was fatally struck while crossing Pitkin Avenue near Mother Gaston Boulevard.
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Records show the 2021 black Ford Explorer Griffiths was allegedly driving had previously accumulated 41 violations, including 25 for speeding. Investigators say Griffiths was behind the wheel when the SUV struck Underwood, then left the scene.
Underwood was struck at approximately 6:50 a.m. January 16 as she attempted to cross Pitkin Avenue near Mother Gaston Boulevard. Police said she was in a marked crosswalk but crossing against the pedestrian signal.
Investigators allege Griffiths was driving westbound on Pitkin Avenue when he crossed over the double yellow line to pass a vehicle that was beginning to turn right onto Mother Gaston Boulevard. The Ford Explorer then struck Underwood, police said.
As Underwood lay in the roadway, she was struck by a second vehicle, described by police as a black-and-gray sedan. Investigators said that vehicle dragged her for more than two blocks before its driver also fled. Underwood was pronounced dead at the scene.
Both drivers initially left without remaining at the crash scene, according to police. The second driver has not been publicly identified or charged.
Griffiths later acknowledged to the Daily News that he was driving the Ford Explorer but disputed that he had done anything wrong. He said he pulled over after believing he had struck something and got out of the SUV as people attempted to help Underwood and flag down the second vehicle.
Griffiths said he left before police arrived because he needed to take medication and felt as though he was going to faint. He also told the newspaper that police later came to his home and took his vehicle. According to police, investigators spent days tracking him down, and Griffiths declined to answer questions, directing detectives to his attorney.
The Ford Explorer had been seized by police in January for forensic examination after investigators identified it as the SUV seen in surveillance footage. At that time, police said there was not yet enough evidence to establish who had been driving the vehicle during the crash.
Underwood was a New York City native who began working in entertainment as a child in the late 1990s. She was about 6 years old when she appeared in the 1999 film The 24 Hour Woman.
She later became known to Nickelodeon viewers for her work on All That, appearing in seven episodes during the show’s 10th season alongside performers including Amanda Bynes and Kenan Thompson. She also appeared in the first national tour of Hairspray as Little Inez and had a role in Death of a Dynasty, a comedy about the hip-hop industry starring Kevin Hart.
Underwood also voiced Fuchsia Glover, the cousin of the title character, on the Nick Jr. animated series Little Bill. She remained associated with the character through multiple seasons of the series.
In the years before her death, Underwood experienced homelessness and was reportedly living on the streets in Brownsville. Her circumstances drew public attention in 2023 when fellow All That cast member Angelique Bates posted about Underwood and said she needed help.
Bates later spoke with CBS New York about Underwood, saying she believed the former child performer needed support and that the affection she had for her former cast and the franchise was important to her.
The January crash initially drew attention because surveillance footage showed Underwood being struck by two vehicles, with neither driver remaining at the scene. The arrest of Griffiths marks the first formal criminal case stemming from the crash, while the driver of the second vehicle remains unidentified.
Underwood’s connection to “All That” came during a period when the Nickelodeon sketch-comedy series featured a large group of young performers who later pursued careers in television, film and comedy. Another cast member from that era, Christy Knowings, died at 46 after a medical emergency, according to information provided by her family.
Knowings, an actress and comedian, joined All That in 1997 and appeared on the series for three seasons. She became particularly recognizable for recurring characters including Penny Lane and Jessica in the Whateverrr!!! sketches alongside Bynes. Before becoming a regular cast member, Knowings had appeared on And Now This, a Nickelodeon sketch-comedy special produced by Rosie O’Donnell.
According to information provided by Knowings’ family, she suffered an asthma attack that resulted in brain damage and was hospitalized Friday following the medical emergency. She was placed on life support and remained there through Tuesday, when her family decided to remove her from the machines. She died Tuesday night at a Los Angeles-area hospital.
Brownsville is a neighborhood in eastern Brooklyn, within New York City, and Pitkin Avenue is a major east-west roadway through the community. The crash occurred near the intersection with Mother Gaston Boulevard, where Underwood was attempting to cross the street during the early-morning hours.
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