KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – A funeral was held Monday in Miami Beach for a 15-year-old girl who was killed by a boater over the weekend.
Police said the boater fled the scene after striking Ella Adler around 4:40 p.m. Saturday while she was waterskiing near the Nixon Beach sandbar off the coast of Key Biscayne.
“(She was) a special little girl, she was a great dancer. My daughter’s best friend,” Loren Pearson told Local 10 News.
A long line of friends and family members could be seen streaming into Temple Beth Shalom in Miami Beach Monday to pay their respects.
“My daughter was out waterskiing with her,” Pearson said. “You know, it’s a tremendous loss. She had such a bright future. It’s very sad.”
Ella’s funeral was held just two days after she was hit by a passing boat.
Police said the operator of the vessel that hit her never stopped to help.
Witnesses provided a detailed description of the boat to investigators.
“We are searching for a vessel that we are told is a center console, light blue, possible blue bottom paint with two or possibly up to four outboard engines,” said Officer George Reynaud, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Local 10 learned Monday that Ella was a student at Ransom Everglades High School in Coconut Grove and is the granddaughter of Michael Adler, the current U.S. ambassador to Belgium.
“Our hearts are broken and our community has been devastated by this tragedy,” Ransom Everglades Head of School Rachel Rodriguez said in a statement Monday. “Ella shined in our classrooms and on our stages, and she embodied the mission of Ransom Everglades School.
“She was an outstanding student, a wonderful dancer and an active member of the Jewish Student Association and speech and debate team. We extend our deepest sympathy to her family and our prayers are with all who are mourning her loss.
“In this time of unspeakable pain, we have been moved by the outpouring of kindness and compassion from the Ransom Everglades community. In the coming days and weeks, we will continue to lean into our core values and provide support and care to the many students and members of our professional community who are grieving.”
Those who knew Ella best are now pleading for the boater involved to come forward.
“Hand yourself in and take responsibility, and let things go from there,” Pearson said.
Anyone with information on the crash or the vessel involved is urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS or the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922. Between the FWC, Crime Stoppers and the victim’s family, a total reward of $20,000 has been offered for information that leads to an arrest.