Woman who died after vehicle went into frigid Ashbridges Bay was a ‘kind and beautiful soul,’ says friend

Twenty-five-year-old Agnesa Shukulli died on Jan. 20 hours after being pulled from a vehicle that was submerged in Ashbridges Bay. (Facebook photo)

A young woman who died after a vehicle she was travelling in plunged into Ashbridges Bay over the weekend is being remembered as a kind and thoughtful person whom people wanted to talk to, be around, and befriend.

“If you met Agnesa you’d get positive vibes from her right away, honestly. … She was a very, very caring person,” said Kristian Pasku, whose twin, Johana, was 25-year-old Agnesa Shukulli’s best friend.

Pasku’s sister is current living in Albania, where Shukulli was also from.

The two communicated daily, shared Pasku, who told CP24.com on Thursday afternoon that he felt compelled to do something to help support her family during this difficult time.

After speaking with Shukulli’s relatives, Pasku created a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to repatriate her body back to southeastern Albania’s Korçë region for a proper burial. The goal is for Shukulli to be laid to rest in the same cemetery as her grandparents, he said.

“Agnesa was a kind and beautiful soul who touched the hearts of everyone she met. She was a loving daughter, a caring sister, and a friend who made everyone feel special. Her smile could light up a room, and her warmth and kindness left a lasting impression on everyone lucky enough to know her,” he wrote on the page.

“In November 2021, Agnesa moved to Canada to join her sister, Anxhela. She came here with big dreams—dreams of creating a better life, helping her parents back in Albania, and building a future filled with love and hope.”

On Sunday around 9:30 p.m., emergency responders were called to Ashbridges Bay for reports of a vehicle that had gone into the water.

At the scene, firefighters located a submerged vehicle and a man on its roof, who indicated that a passenger was still inside. A female was pulled from the vehicle in critical condition and rushed to the hospital where she was later pronounced deceased.

The driver, identified by police on Tuesday as 23-year-old Kristjan Serraj, is now facing a charge of dangerous operation causing death.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and do not have any further details at this time.

Shukulli lived in East York’s Pape Village area and had just started taking English lessons last fall.

For the last four years, she worked at Serano Bakery on Pape Avenue stocking goods, helping customers with their orders, and assisting with deliveries. When she could, she sent money to her parents who live in Greece.

Nikos Takas, who parents Chris and Sophie own Serano’s, told CP24.com that Shukulli was a good worker who always arrived on time and rarely called in sick.

He said she was a mostly private person, but as far as he knows, she was a typical 25-year-old woman who enjoyed her life and liked hanging out with her sister and her friends.

Pasku said Shukulli also loved spending time in parks and in nature, and often took long walks. She also enjoyed taking photographs, he said.

“Agnesa’s dream was to have a successful and loving family. She wanted to meet the right person and she spoke about that often,” said Pasku, who would often have a coffee or a bite to eat with Shukulli and his sister.

As far as he and Takas knew, Shukulli had only met the young man that she was with the night she died about two weeks earlier.

Takas said on Monday at around 7:30 a.m. one of his uncles received a call at the bakery from Shukulli’s landlord inquiring about her whereabouts.

“The landlord actually really took care of her, like their own daughter,” he shared.

Takas said when he arrived at work a couple hours later two police officers were there waiting for him. He said they asked him if he knew where Shukulli was and then gave him the news that she’d been in a crash the night before and had passed away.

“I was in shock. I didn’t want to believe it. It’s just terrible news,” said Takas who then had the difficult task of letting his staff know about the tragedy.

“Everyone was going crazy. They were all devastated.”

Takas said he and his team are still trying process and make sense of this immense loss.

Funds collected to send woman’s body back to Albania

They also want to do what they can to help Shukulli’s family and so far have collected about $2,500, he said, adding that his parents intend to match the final amount.

Takas said he and his family have also been assisting the young woman’s relatives in making various arrangements to bring her body back home as well as providing support to her distraught parents back in Greece.

“They’re crushed. They can’t even make sense of what has happened,” he shared.

“It’s all just very, very sad, especially since it’s so tragic. We’re still in shock.”

Pasku said Shukulli’s sister is also in rough shape and hasn’t come to terms with what has happened.

“She’s not taking this loss well,” he said.

“Agnesa’s life was cut too short. It’s very sad.”

At this point, it is unclear exactly what happened that fateful night.

“Even the family is waiting for the police to speak to them. We don’t want to speculate,” Pasku said, adding the focus for now is getting Agnesa’s body back to Albania.

There is some discussion underway about organizing a vigil-type gathering for Shukulli near the scene of the incident at Ashbridges Bay. Details are still in the works.

It is also unclear exactly when the repatriation will occur.