Kianna Underwood, a former child actor who appeared on Nickelodeon’s “All That” and voiced a character on “Little Bill,” was struck and killed early Friday in a Brownsville hit-and-run that police say involved two vehicles that both left the scene. The fatal collision happened around 6:50 a.m. along the Pitkin Avenue corridor, where investigators say a black SUV hit Underwood as she crossed before a second dark-colored sedan also ran over her and drove off.
Authorities said Underwood, 33, was pronounced dead at the scene as officers closed the block to traffic and began canvassing for surveillance footage and witnesses. Detectives released preliminary descriptions of the vehicles and asked for tips while the Highway Patrol Collision Investigation Squad mapped the scene and collected debris. The death shocked friends and former co-workers who remembered Underwood’s childhood credits and stage work, and it renewed focus on a familiar urban danger: low-visibility morning crossings on fast-moving arterials where drivers often speed or weave around stopped vehicles. The investigation remained active Saturday with no arrests reported.
Police and witnesses described a brief but violent sequence near Mother Gaston Boulevard as commuters moved through the neighborhood. Underwood was crossing Pitkin Avenue just before 7 a.m. when a black Ford Explorer-style SUV, heading west, struck her in the roadway. Moments later, a black-and-gray sedan following behind also hit her, according to investigators. Video from nearby storefronts captured portions of the impact and the immediate aftermath, including a vehicle dragging her for part of a block before leaving the area. First responders arrived within minutes, but medics pronounced Underwood dead on Pitkin near Osborn Street. “Two drivers hit this woman and didn’t stop,” a detective said at the scene, calling for anyone with dashcam footage to come forward.
Officers spent the morning marking skid paths, measuring distances and photographing undercarriage damage on pieces of plastic left behind. They also pulled camera footage from bodega exteriors and a church across the avenue, tracing the vehicles westbound along Pitkin and onto side streets. Investigators believe both drivers would have seen or felt the impact. The working timeline places the initial strike around 6:50 a.m., with the block cordoned off by 7:05 and the medical examiner notified shortly afterward. By late morning, police towed several cars for inspection and took statements from residents who had heard a thud and saw a dark SUV and a following sedan speed away.
Underwood was identified later Friday. As a child, she appeared in seven episodes of the sketch show “All That” and voiced Fuschia Glover on the animated series “Little Bill” from 1999 to 2004. She also performed on stage as Little Inez in a national tour of “Hairspray.” Friends said she remained passionate about performing even as she stepped away from on-screen roles as an adult. Former colleagues posted remembrances through the day, recalling a funny, energetic kid who knew her lines and lifted the mood at rehearsals. “She was a light,” one friend wrote in a message shared among castmates. “Everyone felt it.”
Family members expressed grief and frustration that the drivers kept going. In an emotional online message Saturday, her father, Anthony Underwood, asked whether anyone had been with his daughter in her final moments. “Did anyone try to comfort my baby?” he wrote. Relatives said they were working with detectives and hoped that clearer images of the vehicles would surface as more cameras are reviewed. A cousin who visited the site left flowers beside a chalk outline anchoring the crash measurements and said the family wants accountability, not vengeance. “Just stop and help. That’s all,” she said.
Brownsville residents described Pitkin Avenue as a perilous pass-through where drivers race the morning lights and swing around stopped trucks. The corridor has long stretches without median refuge and limited daylight in winter hours. Data from city crash maps show frequent injury collisions in the surrounding blocks, with pedestrian strikes often occurring as drivers change lanes around double-parked vehicles. On Friday, commuters filtered past police tape as officers rerouted buses and kept pedestrians to the north sidewalk. A deli owner said he heard a “heavy smack” and then saw “a black truck and another car shoot forward” before sirens closed in. Workers at a nearby auto shop said they turned over footage from a camera aimed at the intersection.
Legally, the case is being handled as a fatal hit-and-run, which in New York can carry felony charges when a driver knowingly leaves after a crash that causes death. Detectives are looking for a black SUV—described by officers at the scene as a Ford Explorer or similar—and a dark sedan with gray trim or a two-tone finish. Investigators will compare any recovered parts to model-year catalogs and check local body shops for recent repair inquiries. The Office of Chief Medical Examiner will formally list the cause and manner of death following an autopsy, a standard step that also informs the collision reconstruction. Police said they expect to release clearer vehicle images after additional video is processed.
Underwood’s on-screen credits placed her in a wider circle of entertainers who began as kids on Nickelodeon and later found paths on and off the stage. Alumni from those shows posted tributes through Friday night and Saturday, sharing photos from sets and touring buses. Some recalled Underwood’s voice work on “Little Bill,” which reached elementary audiences across the country in the early 2000s. Others remembered her as Little Inez on the road with “Hairspray,” a role that friends said matched her quick steps and easy rhythm. Though she had stepped away from regular screen roles, acquaintances said she still sang and wrote, and that she was “trying to figure out the next chapter.”
As the investigation continued, city officials emphasized the procedural next steps: canvassing for more cameras along the route, requesting plate-reader checks for likely vehicles, and seeking tips from mechanics, tow operators and residents who noticed fresh front-end damage. Detectives will also run a standard search of insurance claims filed after the crash window and review 911 and 311 calls for mentions of damaged black SUVs or sedans in the area. If either driver is identified, prosecutors will determine charges based on the evidence, including speed estimates, right-of-way rules at the crossing, and whether the drivers failed to remain at the scene. Police did not release any information suggesting alcohol use or a chase.
By Saturday afternoon, a small memorial of candles, lilies and a printed headshot had formed on the corner near where Underwood fell. Straphangers leaving the nearby subway paused to read hand-lettered notes. “We grew up watching her,” said a passerby who recognized Underwood’s Nickelodeon roles. “It hurts that she died like this, and that no one stopped.” A crossing guard stationed two blocks east said morning traffic is often “a blur of cars trying to beat the light,” and she hoped cameras would provide enough detail to catch both drivers. Under a gray sky and a steady wind, investigators wrapped up their measurements and reopened the block just before dusk.
As of Saturday night, police had released no arrests or new vehicle images. The next milestone is expected to be a public appeal with clearer footage from recovered cameras and any updates on the makes, models and plate fragments under review. The medical examiner’s findings and a more detailed reconstruction are also pending. Relatives said they plan a memorial service in New York City, with details to be announced after arrangements are made.
Author note: Last updated January 17, 2026.
