Suspect in hit-and-run death of former Nickelodeon actress Kianna Underwood arrested

A Brooklyn man has been arrested in connection to the hit-and-run death of former Nickelodeon actress Kianna Underwood.

The NYPD said Michael Griffiths, 72, was arrested Tuesday morning.

According to police, one driver was driving an SUV westbound on Jan. 16 on Pitkin Avenue and crossed over the double yellow line to pass a vehicle that was starting to make a right turn onto Mother Gaston Boulevard.

The driver then allegedly struck Underwood, who police say was trying to cross Pitkin Avenue in the crosswalk against the pedestrian signal. 

Police say as Underwood was lying in the road, she was struck by a second vehicle. An ambulance was called and EMS pronounced Underwood, 33, dead at the scene.

Neither driver stopped after striking Underwood, police say.

Griffiths has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and leaving the scene of an accident with injury.

As a child, Underwood appeared on the Nickelodeon TV show "All That" and had a recurring voiceover role on the cartoon "Little Bill."

In the years before her death, she had struggled with homelessness, police say. An employee at a store near the scene of the crash said he had occasionally given her money and food.

Former "All That" cast member Angelique Bates told CBS News New York she had raised concerns about Underwood back in 2023, posting an Instagram video saying she needed help.

"As much as she loved her supporters, as much as she loved the franchise, I think she would have loved to know that that love was reciprocated," Bates told CBS News New York in January.