ROCHESTER, N.Y. — In the early hours of 2024, a fiery car crash killed best friends, 28-year-old Justina Hughes and 29-year-old Joshua Orr, after they’d entered a rideshare vehicle to leave a Moe concert at the Kodak Center in Rochester. Dawn Revette, 54, also died from her injuries weeks later and the driver was killed as well. Many other pedestrians were injured.
Hughes’ twin sister, Jessica, was the first one to get the call.
“Something kept nudging me that I should probably answer it. And it was, it was the detectives,” Hughes recalled, “Part of me kind of feels like that was a sign that I needed to know first from Justina.”
Hughes says her sister introduced her to Orr more than a decade ago. Hughes’ aunt, Jennifer, referred to Hughes and Orr’s bond as twin flames. Orr and the Hughes sisters enjoyed seeing music live together.
“She liked going to concerts a lot. That was something that her and I bonded over,” she explained. “I think we all met freshman year of high school when we were in ninth grade. Justina and Josh kind of hit it off immediately.”
From there, the pair was inseparable. Jennifer says her niece was a bright light, compassionate and generous, free spirited and lived her life to the fullest everyday. Her sister always referred to her as a protector.
“She did not let anybody mess around with people that she loved,” she said.
It’s been a long year mourning her sister, but she says she’s grown and learned a lot.
“It's been a lot. I think everybody's kind of still processing at this point. For me, I've been kind of focusing on positivity and bettering myself and everything, and just trying to be a better version of myself, because life is short, and I think I finally understand that now,” she explained. “Justina and Josh both always made sure to make time for themselves, to do what they love to do. Kind of like a self-care type thing. So I've been working on that.”
Families of the victims are still searching for answers. Law enforcement, as well.
In a statement, the FBI’s Buffalo Field Office says, "The FBI sends our deepest condolences to family and friends of the victims. These lives were taken unfairly too soon. Over the past year, the FBI has diligently investigated this case. The FBI recognizes many want to “why” this incident occurred; however, our findings have not changed. We have uncovered no evidence of an ideology and no nexus of terrorism. What happened on January 1, 2024, was a horrible, senseless incident. We grieve with all of Rochester. The FBI will continue to assist the Rochester Police Department and our law enforcement partners with this investigation. As always, anyone with information is encouraged to contact the FBI by calling 1800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.”
The Rochester Police Department says they believe the driver of the car was suffering from undiagnosed mental health issues. Hughes’ sister wants to remind everyone to call 988 if you’re struggling with your mental health.
“A lot of people are angry and I kind of was at first too, but I'm not really so much angry at him,” Hughes explained. “I just feel sad for him. I mean, he was going through some stuff, granted, he handled it the wrong way, but I mean, it happened. There's not really much we can do to change it except try to be better.”
Hughes’ aunt says the 28 year old always believed there was more good in this world than bad. The families have seen that through the community outreach of support they’ve received following the incident. Hughes wants her niece to be remembered for her big heart, empathy, and for being the gentle person she was.
