Drivers left after fatal Brownsville crash that killed Kianna Underwood
A driver in a Ford SUV and a second driver in a black-gray sedan hit 33-year-old Kianna Underwood near Pitkin Avenue and Mother Gaston Boulevard; police said both left, and city data recorded one pedestrian death.
What We Know
The city crash record places the fatal collision at 6:43 a.m. at Pitkin Avenue and Mother Gaston Boulevard and lists Underwood, 33, as a pedestrian killed while crossing at the intersection. Police later told news outlets that a driver in a black Ford Explorer crossed the double yellow line to pass another driver and hit Underwood as she crossed without the signal; they said a second driver in a black-gray sedan then hit her and left too. Several outlets, citing surveillance video, reported that she was dragged nearly two blocks and was found near Pitkin Avenue and Osborn Street. Police later seized the Ford SUV for forensic review, but CBS reported the owner was not under arrest.
A fatal crossing on Pitkin Avenue
The official crash record says the collision happened at 6:43 a.m. on Jan. 16, 2026, at Pitkin Avenue and Mother Gaston Boulevard in Brooklyn. It records one pedestrian, a 33-year-old woman, killed and no other injuries.
Police later identified the woman as Kianna Underwood. CBS reported that police said a driver in a black 2021 Ford Explorer crossed the double yellow line to pass another driver and hit Underwood as she crossed without the right of way. Police said a second driver in a black-gray sedan then hit her, and both drivers left.
Early reports and later police detail differed
Same-day reports described one driver in a black or gray sedan or vehicle. By the next day, police accounts reported by CBS and ABC described two drivers: one in a black Ford Explorer SUV and another in a black-gray sedan.
Pitkin Avenue has a long record of serious crashes
The crash happened at Pitkin Avenue and Mother Gaston Boulevard in Brownsville, Brooklyn. CrashCountNYC's street context for Pitkin Avenue in Brooklyn counts 1,051 crashes, 716 injuries, 38 serious injuries and 3 deaths from Jan. 1, 2022, through June 1, 2026.
Kianna Underwood was remembered as a former child actor
News outlets identified the victim as Kianna Underwood, 33, a former Nickelodeon child actor. The Daily News and ABC reported that she appeared on All That and did voice work on Little Bill.
After her death, her father, Anthony Underwood, questioned on Facebook, "Did anyone try to comfort my baby as she layed dying in the street alone, or did they just stand around with their phones." CBS quoted nearby store supervisor Andy Sierra saying, "No human being deserves to die like that."
Police described a passing maneuver and a crossing against the signal
The official crash record lists traffic-control disregard as a contributing factor and records Underwood's pedestrian action as crossing against the signal. CBS reported that police said the Ford driver had a green light but crossed the double yellow line to pass another driver before hitting Underwood.
Investigators seized the Ford SUV
CBS reported on Jan. 19 that police had found and seized the Ford SUV for forensic examination, but that the owner was not under arrest because investigators did not have enough evidence to say he was driving. The Daily News reported that police were still looking for the driver in the sedan, and that no charges had been filed at that point.