72-year-old man charged in New York City hit-and-run crash that killed former Nickelodeon star

Arrest comes over 8 months after 33-year-old Kianna Underwood killed

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Wednesday, September 30, 2026 6:39PM

NEW YORK -- Police have made an arrest in connection to the hit-and-run death of former Nickelodeon star Kianna Underwood.

Officers arrested 72-year-old Brooklyn resident Michael Griffiths on Tuesday and charged him with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, and leaving the scene of an accident with injury.

The arrest comes more than eight months after 33-year-old Kianna Underwood, a former Nickelodeon child star, was killed in a hit-and-run in Brownsville.

According to the NYPD, Underwood was crossing an intersection when a black Ford Explorer SUV hit her on the morning of January 16.

While lying in the street, she was then "subsequently struck by a black and gray sedan," NYPD said in a statement. Underwood was pronounced dead at the scene.

Underwood starred in Nickelodeon's popular children's sketch comedy show, "All That," over seven episodes in 2005. From 1999 to 2004, Underwood voiced the character Fuchsia Glover in the Nick Jr. show "Little Bill."

She also spent a year on the first national tour of "Hairspray" as Little Inez.

"All That" was Underwood's last credited role. The program helped launch multiple careers over its decade-long run, including Nick Cannon, Kenan Thompson, and Amanda Bynes.

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