CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — Family and friends have identified the 21-year-old woman who they say Cheektowaga Police found dead on the westbound 33 after she fell out of an Uber and was hit by an oncoming car two weeks ago.
Cheektowaga Police have not formally identified the 21-year-old but her aunt Felicia Collins, great aunt Teresa Locke, and cousin TaNica Patton all tell 2 On Your Side her name was Char'Dae Nunes.
Collins, Locke, and Patton were part of a crowd of 50 or so people who gathered to honor Nunes' life Friday near where she was killed.
They held a balloon launch on the shoulder of the expressway just past the Cayuga Street on-ramp. Cheektowaga Police promptly blocked traffic to make sure stayed everyone safe.
Nunes was remembered as being a hardworking young woman, who was holding down two jobs to help support her family while going to college.
According to her Aunt Felicia, she had just turned 21 on Feb. 1 and had recently returned from a birthday celebration in Jamaica.
"Char'Dae was excellent, super. She did everything. She was like the perfect child," she said.
The family is dumbfounded about Nunes' death, and many question the findings of Cheektowaga Police, who have said her death appears to be accidental.
Cheektowaga Police Chief Brian Coons previously told 2 On Your Side this was a "complicated case."
On Thursday, the department released new details including that investigators found physical evidence that suggested the 21-year-old had climbed out of the rear window of the vehicle up to her waist when she fell out and was hit by another vehicle on the expressway. She was the only one in the back seat of the Uber.
Police have said it's unclear what caused her to fall out.
"When I got the information I just refused to believe it. We just didn't believe it," said Nunes' great aunt, Teresa Locke.
That disbelief was shared by almost everyone in the crowd, although no one had concrete answers.
"We going to find justice for Char'Dae. She didn't jump out of the car because she was suicidal. She jumped out that car because she was scared something was happening, and we going to find justice for Char'Dae," Collins said.
Cheektowaga Police have said they interviewed witnesses who were driving on the expressway and that the driver of the Uber has cooperated with their investigation. The driver has been blocked from Uber while the investigation is ongoing.
The department stated in a news release Thursday: "Evidence does not support any criminal charges at this time and the death is considered accidental."
Nunes' cousin, TaNica Patton, said Char'Dae had been on Facetime with a different cousin while in the Uber and then said something weird happened.
"Her phone went silent she was on the phone with her the whole time. And then the next thing, you just literally heard sirens," said Patton.
In a statement shared with 2 On Your Side, an Uber spokesperson said:
“Our hearts go out to this young woman’s family during this incredibly tragic time. We’re continuing to look into this, and are standing by to assist police in their investigation.”
The family plans to hold another celebration of life for Char'Dae on Saturday at Faith Baptist Church on Humboldt Parkway.