Driver charged with murder after pregnant woman killed in Bed-Stuy
Police and prosecutors said Chaquasia Pigford hit and dragged Tiffany Cifuni after a Bed-Stuy fender-bender; the official record logged one pedestrian death at Marcus Garvey Boulevard and Van Buren Street late May 24.
What We Know
Tiffany Cifuni, 32, was driving home from a Beyonce concert when police said another driver rear-ended her in Bedford-Stuyvesant shortly before midnight on May 24, 2025. After Cifuni got out near Marcus Garvey Boulevard and Van Buren Street, prosecutors said Chaquasia Pigford struck her, dragged her, and fled. The official crash record logged one pedestrian death at that location. Police arrested Pigford weeks later, and the Post reported that she faced charges including second-degree murder, manslaughter, reckless driving, driving without a license, and leaving the scene of a deadly accident.
A fender-bender turned fatal after Cifuni got out
The official record places the crash at 11:55 p.m. on May 24, 2025, at Marcus Garvey Boulevard and Van Buren Street in Brooklyn, with one 32-year-old pedestrian killed.
Police told the Daily News that Tiffany Cifuni was driving east on Van Buren Street when a woman driving a 2016 Chevy Trax rear-ended her near Marcus Garvey Boulevard. Prosecutors later said Cifuni followed the driver for about two blocks before the driver stopped, and Cifuni got out and walked up to the Chevy.
Assistant District Attorney Tara Kelly said Pigford first pressed the gas lightly, causing the Chevy to touch Cifuni, and then floored the gas as Cifuni asked a passerby to photograph the plate. Kelly said Cifuni became lodged beneath the vehicle.
Marcus Garvey Boulevard has seen repeated harm
The crash happened at Marcus Garvey Boulevard and Van Buren Street in Brooklyn. CrashCountNYC location data for Marcus Garvey Boulevard in Brooklyn shows 503 crashes, 293 injuries, 16 serious injuries and 2 deaths since 2022.
Cifuni was pregnant and heading home from a concert
Relatives told reporters Cifuni had been driving home from a Beyonce concert at MetLife Stadium. The Daily News reported that she was pregnant, and prosecutors later said she was 12 weeks pregnant.
Her husband, James Cifuni, told the Daily News, "But I lost my whole family tonight and I don't think I'll ever be the same."
Police described a Chevy Trax, a Toyota 4Runner, and parked vehicles
The Daily News reported that Cifuni was driving a 2021 Toyota 4Runner and that police said Pigford was driving a 2016 Chevy Trax. The official record lists three involved vehicle entries matching two SUVs and a sedan, including parked vehicles and a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
News accounts reported that after dragging Cifuni, the Chevy driver went into oncoming traffic, hit parked vehicles, and left on foot. The Post reported that the driver of a 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee was not seriously injured; Brooklyn Paper reported that the Jeep driver was injured.
Pigford was arrested and held without bail
Police arrested Chaquasia Pigford, 28, in June in connection with Cifuni's death. The Post reported that she faced charges including second-degree murder, manslaughter, reckless driving, driving without a license, and leaving the scene of a deadly accident.
The Post reported that Judge Dena E. Douglas ordered Pigford held without bail at arraignment. Tiffany Cifuni's father-in-law, Nick Cifuni, told reporters, "We will not rest until it's over and we get justice for Tiffany."