Who was Sara Burack, Hamptons real estate agent killed in hit-and-run?

In an episode of the 2020 Netflix reality show "Million Dollar Beach House," Sara Burack co-hosted an open house for the Blu Mar restaurant and hotel in Southampton.

Burack appeared in a black dress and platform pumps, stick-straight blonde hair framing a face with focused brown eyes, as she represented a property in the competitive Hamptons real estate market. As an agent for Nest Seekers International, she had built a career brokering sales on the upscale East End and was a regular in the area's vibrant social scene.

Several years later, on a foggy morning this June, Burack, 40, would find herself alone on a Hampton Bays roadway. A woman driving on Montauk Highway around 2:45 a.m. struck and killed Burack, who was reportedly carrying a suitcase, police said. The woman drove off but was arrested the next day.

Burack's family declined to comment, but called her "our first-born and our shining light," who was "a wonderful big sister" and "a hard working real estate professional," according to a statement made through family friend and spokesperson Deb Huberman.

Much remains unknown about Burack's final hours and the months prior to her death, but public records show that she filed a flurry of often handwritten lawsuits against a slew of major corporations in less than a year. Burack "was experiencing mental health issues" at the time of her death, said the family's lawyer, Connecticut-based John Q. Kelly.

Leading up to her death, Burack visited a Suffolk County government building in Riverhead almost daily in attempts to pay taxes on a property she did not own, according to Michele Guardino, who works for the Suffolk County Comptroller's Office.

"She was very smart," Guardino said, citing Burack's legal savviness. "She was just, she needed help."

Amanda Kempton, 32, of Manorville, was arrested the day after the accident and charged with leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident in which a fatality occurred. Her lawyer, William Keahon, has said Kempton believed she hit a construction cone. Kempton was arraigned that weekend and released on $200,000 bond.

"My client was in the right hand lane, not speeding, not weaving," said Keahon, who said he had seen surveillance video of the crash on June 19, a Thursday.

On his way into work the morning of the accident, Melrose Deli owner Gelmol Mendez said the road was already closed.

"That night, actually, it was very foggy," said Mendez, who lives in Hampton Bays.

By Saturday, a tree outside Villa Paul restaurant, near the accident site, was adorned with black-and-white photographs of Burack. Flowers fresh, wilted and dried poked out from red wrapping that hugged the tree. On one photograph, a black scrawl read, "Love U Sara! Miss U 4Ever — PC."

"The family made extraordinary efforts until the day she died to get her long-term professional help," Kelly, the family's lawyer, said in a text message, in part.

Burack's state of mind has not been linked to the accident.

"Sara was part of a close, loving, and very private family that was always there for her," the family said in their statement via Kelly. "They are overwhelmed with grief, and the gossip and innuendo surrounding Sara's passing needs to end — it is pointless and so very painful."

Sara Burack's life leading up to the accident

Having met her during the last year of her life, Guardino, from the comptroller's office, saw a version of Burack that did not match her identity as a Hamptons real estate agent who had appeared as a guest on a reality show about high-end real estate.

She described Burack as "disheveled looking," often carrying several bags or pushing a shopping cart. According to Guardino, Burack said at one time she was living in the vestibule of a Chase Bank.

When she visited the Suffolk County facility where Guardino worked, Burack would show identification to enter and then "just roam," Guardino said.

"When it was cold out, she'd be the first person on line at 9 o'clock, when the doors open, and she'd be the last person to leave at 5 o'clock," Guardino said. "And she'd try to make herself busy."

Burack would confide in Guardino, sharing personal details of her life and whereabouts. She would frequent a 24-hour gym in Southampton, sometimes sleeping there, Guardino said Burack told her.

Among other things, Burack carried reusable grocery bags filled with paperwork and always had an iPad on her, Guardino said. She often wore the same clothing.

Guardino recounted going around the office with a Target bag collecting food to give to Burack.

“If I had a half a sandwich here, I'm like, 'Sara, you have to eat. Take this,’” Guardino said.

Within the past year, Guardino said she tried to get Burack help through the social service program Adult Protective Services. When two sheriffs arrived, Burack "took off," Guardino said.

A 'deluge' of Suffolk Supreme Court filings

Burack's sudden wave of legal filings offered another glimpse into her life. A search of the New York State Supreme Court database produced 127 filings in Suffolk County: three from 2022, the rest spanning just nine months.

From August to May, Burack filed dozens of lawsuits against a list of parties. She is listed as her own lawyer in most of them.

In bubbly handwriting, Burack accused Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney of allowing "shannigans [sic]" in Suffolk County.

She accused Walmart of making "manufacturing changes" that had affected her vision and day-to-day life.

In part, she wrote, "the change in chemicals that are added to the products deliberately inhibit my ability to see clearly and am being electronically [sic] shocked through devices that seem to be wired incorrectly."

In the Walmart suit, she mentions unlisted food additives and a desire for more transparency.

She accuses Uber Technologies, along with a laundry list of other defendants including Whole Foods Market entities, of having "destroyed Plaintiff's life by falsifying documents, defamation of character, and endangering the well being of the plaintiff."

The district attorney's office does not comment on suits, said Suffolk County District Attorney's Office spokesperson Tania Lopez, who referred Newsday to the County Attorney's Office.

"The deluge of lawsuits filed by Ms. Burack presented a major challenge to the resources of the County Clerk's Office," said Michael Martino, director of communications for Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine, in an email. "Often Ms. Burack would file a suit, not adhere to the court process, only to see it dismissed. She would then refile the same suit."

Martino said Burack was treated with "the utmost care and respect" in interactions with the County Clerk's Office and called her loss "a terrible tragedy."

Uber, Whole Foods and Walmart did not respond to requests for comment.

A 'bubbly,' 'generous' person who worked constantly

Burack's former Nest Seekers colleague Michael Fulfree, who co-listed Blu Mar with her, described her as "bubbly" and the "life of the party," despite struggles.

"Our business is not easy," said Fulfree, who said he had worked alongside her for a few years. "But she's a very, very good person."

She was a patron of Rogers Memorial Library, having visited frequently over the past few years, said library director Liz Burns. She said Burack would use the public computers.

"We hadn't seen her in a couple of months because the library was under construction," Burns said.

In a phone call with Newsday, Southampton builder Mike White said he was a friend of Burack's and was with her at the hospital on the night she was struck. Her mother had called on White that night because the family was traveling to Long Island from Westchester and needed to find someone on the Island who could be with Burack more immediately, according to Kelly.

White described Burack as "intense," working nonstop and trying to help others whenever she could. Sometimes, he said, she would not take a commission out of empathy for a client.

"She worked, and worked, late hours of the night," White said. "I'd never seen any human being work like that. You know, and she's just on all the time, super intelligent."

Burack was "a free spirit" who helped him in his own business dealings during the COVID-19 pandemic, White said.

"She's just a good person, and I wish she was here because, you know, she was still helping me to the end," White said.

As a colleague, Fulfree said he could count on seeing her at the office.

"She was always there," Fulfree said. "No matter what random time I dropped by. She was dedicated to her clients."

Around 2022, Burack represented Justin Mitchell in the sale of a Sag Harbor house. Mitchell, who works in publishing and met Burack socially before hiring her as an agent, described Burack as "a really generous individual who liked people."

"Our working experience was positive. She was professional, and they sold the house," Mitchell said. "We got the price we wanted, and we were happy."

The house sold for about $2.2 million, Mitchell estimated.

Fulfree remembers Burack's affinity for "nice things" — jewelry, clothing, a car. Once, he recalled, Burack closed a big deal and bought a Range Rover the next day. But what she gave those around her was not superficial. When Fulfree brought his son to the office, he said, Burack would always give him attention.

"She was a very generous person with people," Fulfree said. "She would always be there to help you and talk about anything."