More than eight months after former Nickelodeon actress Kianna Underwood was fatally struck in a hit-and-run, the NYPD has made an arrest in connection with her death.
Police took 72-year-old Michael Griffiths of Brooklyn into custody on Tuesday morning (Sept. 29). He faces charges of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and leaving the scene of an accident involving injury. Griffiths was arraigned later that day, entered a not-guilty plea, and was released on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to return to court on October 27.
Underwood was crossing Mother Gaston Boulevard at Pitkin Avenue in Brownsville on January 16 when surveillance footage reportedly captured a black Ford Explorer crossing the double yellow line and striking her as she crossed against the signal.
A black-and-gray sedan subsequently hit her and allegedly dragged her for approximately two blocks. Underwood was discovered near Osborn Street and Pitkin Avenue, where she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The former actress was 33 years old.
Griffiths spoke with The New York Daily News in late January, recalling that he struck “something” while denying any responsibility for the incident.
“I did nothing wrong,” he told the publication at the time. He claimed he pulled over and watched as a second vehicle dragged the person before driving away to take medication because he “felt like I was going to faint.”
According to the newspaper, Griffiths’ vehicle had accumulated 41 traffic violations, including 25 speeding offenses.
Underwood was just 6 years old when she made her film debut in the 1999 movie The 24 Hour Woman. She later voiced Fuchsia Glover on Little Bill and toured as Little Inez in the musical Hairspray. In 2005, she also appeared in seven episodes of Nickelodeon’s All That.
In the years leading up to her death, Underwood had been experiencing homelessness and was a familiar face in the Brownsville neighborhood where she was struck.
In a 2023 Instagram video, her former All That castmate Angelique Bates pleaded for a plan to ensure Underwood received the support and assistance she needed.
