Tragic Story of Realtor’s Downfall: From Netflix Star to Homeless Victim of Fatal Hit-and-Run in the Hamptons

A Netflix star was tragically involved in a hit-and-run incident in the Hamptons, where she lost her life. Despite her previous success as a top realtor among the A-List community, it has been uncovered that she was homeless and resorted to living out of a suitcase.

Sara Burack, 40, was regularly seen dragging her pink luggage around Hampton Bays in the weeks before her June 19 death.

It was the ultimate fall from grace for a woman tipped for TV stardom. 

Formerly a prominent figure within the elite circles of the Hamptons, Burack’s circumstances had taken a drastic turn, leading her to use the shower facilities at a local Planet Fitness and ask establishments for cardboard boxes.

She had previously been a top-selling realtor at Nest Seekers International and had considerable experience of selling multi-million dollar homes. 

She once appeared to have it all: a magnificent home, luxurious car, as well as close friends and relatives who adored her.   

But in the last 12 months Burack suffered a series of private struggles that saw her deteriorate into a destitute vagrant. 

Locals who spoke to Daily Mail said they felt too loyal to Burack even in death to disclose the demons she had been battling. 

One surprised Hamptons-dweller called Michael said that Burack’s distinctive long blonde hair and full lips made her look like a movie star.

He said he’d been stunned to discover she was homeless. 

Other locals recalled the upsetting sight of Burack wheeling her bags around town, catching the bus or just walking alone.  

Before the crash, Burack had stopped into a 7-Eleven, a place she often went to pick up items including, bottled water, heading west. The roads were dark and it was a foggy night. 

Burack was reportedly walking in the right-hand lane of the busy Montauk Highway, pulling her pink wheeled suitcase, when she was struck by Amanda Kempton’s vehicle just before 3am outside of Villa Paul Restaurant.

On the night of the tragic hit-and- run, Burack had stopped at a taxi depot. 

An employee there said the ‘homeless’ realtor walked into their office ‘between 10.30pm and 10.45pm,’ before asking for a cardboard box.

He said Burack appeared ‘combative’ and told him she was taking showers at Planet Fitness though he said she ‘looked unclean, had dirty hair, and a slight odor,’ the night he saw her. 

‘I was not sure how she was getting her clothes cleaned but she was pretty much carrying everything with her and see her walking sometimes with a cart,’ he said.

Unware that she was once a former top real estate agent and reality TV star, he seemed unfazed how her life had dramatically changed.

‘In this business I see everything,’ he said. ‘The rise and fall of people.’

Marijan ‘Mario’ Crnkovic, a mason and commercial fisherman was driving home sometime after 2.30am after spending the night working on his friends fishing boat when he saw something in the road.

He immediately turned his car around and that is when he saw Burack lying on the road. 

‘She was bleeding. Her head was on the curb and her body was contorted like a pretzel,’ Crnkovic recalled.

Crnkovic said Burack had suffered further horrible injuries and that she was ‘moaning’ when he found her. 

He dialed 911 and stayed with Crnkovic as her life ebbed away in a trail of blood. 

At one point, Crnkovic said ‘she was responsive and she lifted her hand.’ He said, ‘I held it and prayed until the cops came.’

When EMS and police pulled up to the scene they attempted life-saving measures  before transporting Burack to Stonybrook Hospital.

But Burack’s injuries were too severe to treat and she was pronounced dead shortly after. 

Crnkovic said the contrast between Burack’s appearance and her circumstances unnerved him.  

‘This girl has brand new black Heely’s on and a designer bag in the grass. I wasn’t sure if she was a homeless girl, a working girl or someone on their way home from work,’ he said.

‘There was a trail of blood and all her personal belongings were sprawled out all over the road, including a diamond tennis bracelet.’

‘This girl was hit at a high speed because if she was hit at 20mph or 30mph there was no way her body would have been like that.’  

Based on his observation, Crnkovic said he believes the victims body was hit by the vehicle and dragged more than a 100 feet. He also noticed no skid marks on the road.

‘If you hit a speed bump, an animal, a pothole most people hit the brakes. This person never hit the brakes once,’ he said.

He added, ‘there is no f***ing way (the driver) didn’t know they hit a person.’ 

The harrowing ordeal was personal for Crnkovic, whose father was killed in 2011 after he was mowed down by a hit-and-run driver on a Long Island road. 

Suspect Amanda Kempton, 32, a marine biologist was arrested Friday and has been charged with leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident. 

She denies the allegation and claims she thought she’d hit a traffic cone and is back in court June 30.  

Crnkovic, the fisherman who found her, said there had been heavy fog locally.  

On Monday afternoon, a dark-haired woman, who did not reveal herself but had a striking resemblance to Kempton, was sitting on the porch holding her cell phone and looking visibly distressed. 

When approached, she told Daily Mail she had ‘no comment.’

‘I am sorry we are not allowed to talk,’ the woman said. When the reporter told her it appeared to be a tragic accident she just said ‘it was’ before walking inside the home.

One of Baruck’s closest friends was heartbroken by her unexpected and tragic death and shared her selfless nature

‘She was the type of person who was always there for people who needed her,’ said the friend while placing flowers on a tree outside Villa Paul restaurant that serves as a memorial.

She shared how charitable she was fundraising for leukemia research and animal rescue initiatives.

‘She made her own money. She was proud of her life and what she accomplished,’ she explained.

‘She wanted to handle everything on her own. She did not want anyone to do anything for her,’ she added.

When the top agent was rushed to Stonybrook Hospital her friend was there by her side with Burack’s family. After she was placed on life support, she died shortly after.

‘Whatever happened to her she didn’t deserve to die like she died in the gutter – in the street,’ as her friend became cross..

‘This woman hit her so hard that there was nothing left in her brain. The doctor showed us her scan. Her brain was damaged in so many places there was no chance for survival.’ 

Baruck was laid to rest at a graveside funeral at Mount Lebanon Cemetery in Glendale, Queens last Sunday in a Jewish ceremony.

Her friend said, ‘It was comforting to know that Sara’s final resting place was up on a hill with the New York skyline peeking through a tree.’