The hit-and-run driver who cops say mowed down and dragged a pregnant woman on her way home from a Beyoncé concert was arrested on murder charges, cops said Wednesday, as the victim’s bereaved husband slammed the motorist as a “coward” and “monster.”
Chaquasia Pigford, 28, faces a slew of charges, including second-degree murder, manslaughter, reckless driving, driving without a license, and leaving the scene of a fatal accident, after allegedly ramming into Tiffany Cifuni, 32, on the night of May 24 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, according to police.
Judge Dena E. Douglas ordered Pigford held without bail during her Wednesday afternoon arraignment, which was attended by approximately ten relatives of the slain mother-to-be, including her husband, James Cifuni.
“She’s a coward,” the tearful husband could be heard saying throughout the proceedings. “She’s a monster.”
Tiffany’s father-in-law, Nick Cifuni, a private practice lawyer who previously worked for the New York Police Department, told reporters that the family is “happy today happened.”
“We have been reeling from the day [Tiffany] was killed,” he told me. “We will not rest until Tiffany receives justice.
“I don’t want to say anything to disrupt the evidence of the case.”
Cifuni, who prosecutors say was 12 weeks pregnant, was on her way home from the Beyoncé concert at MetLife Stadium when she was killed, her heartbroken in-laws told WABC at the time.
Cifuni, driving a 2021 Toyota 4Runner, was rear-ended by Pigford, driving a stolen 2016 Chevy Trax on Lewis Avenue, according to cops and prosecutors.
According to Assistant District Attorney Tara Kelly, Cifuni followed Pigford for about two blocks before the Chevy driver came to a stop at Van Buren Street and Marcus Garvey Boulevard.
Cifuni got out of her car and approached Pigford’s vehicle, but Pigford “refused to roll down her window or speak with Tiffany,” Kelly stated.
“At that point, the defendant first lightly pressed the gas, causing the vehicle to briefly touch Mrs. Cifuni,” Kelly told the judge. “Tiffany jumped backwards and placed her hands on the hood.”
“When a passerby was walking down the street, Tiffany yelled, asking him to take a photo of the defendant’s license plate,” she told me. “At that moment, the defendant floored the gas, instantly striking Tiffany, causing her body to become lodged beneath the vehicle.”
Kelly reported that Pigford then made an illegal right turn into oncoming traffic on Marcus Garvey Boulevard.
According to the prosecutor, Cifuni’s body was only dislodged after Pigford drove over a manhole.
But the driver’s rampage wasn’t over; police said the Chevy hit a parked Volkswagen SUV while attempting to flee, then collided with a 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by a 38-year-old woman.
“The only reason the defendant stopped driving was because both of her front tires blew out,” according to Kelly. “She then abandoned the stolen car and fled the scene on foot.”
The crazed driver then got out and fled on foot, leaving behind the Chevy with temporary plates.
Pigford fled to South Carolina, where she has relatives, and was apprehended upon her return to Brooklyn late Tuesday, according to Kelly.
Pigford, who lives less than a mile away, denied any involvement in the crash as detectives led her out of the 81st Precinct stationhouse prior to her arraignment.
Her attorney, John Signoriello, reiterated his client’s denial in court and attempted to secure $10,000 bail because she has strong community ties, lives with her mother, and works as a home health aide.
Pigford wore glasses, a navy blue hoodie, and black leggings, and kept her hood pulled over her head throughout the proceedings.
Her next court appearance is set for July 30.
