KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission identified the boater they said was involved in a deadly crash off Key Biscayne over the weekend.
Ella Adler, 15, died Saturday near the Nixon Beach Sandbar. Authorities initially said she had been waterskiing, but a newly-released FWC report said she was wakeboarding.
Investigators say she fell into the water while being towed and was struck and killed by the passing boater, who never stopped to help.
The report, released Wednesday, identified the operator as Carlos Guillermo Alonso, 78, of Coral Gables. Authorities said he’s cooperating in the investigation.
FWC investigators could be seen Tuesday on the vessel, which was docked behind Alonso’s home in the Hammock Oaks neighborhood. It was later taken to the U.S. Coast Guard station in Miami Beach and towed away.
The report states that Adler had been wakeboarding with someone else who was further away and both “fell off at different times/locations and both were in the water simultaneously.”
Officials said they continue to investigate and have not announced whether Alonso will be charged; it’s not clear whether authorities have determined if he was even aware of the fatal crash.
Attorney Lauren Krasnoff is representing Alonso and released a statement on his behalf, which can be read below:
Adler’s funeral was held on Monday. She was a student at Ransom Everglades High School and is the granddaughter of Michael Adler, the U.S. ambassador to Belgium.
A total of 13 people were on the boat towing her at the time, according to FWC.
That includes Caitlyn White, 14, whose mother, Melisa White, spoke at a recent Key Biscayne Village Council meeting.
“The Adler family, their lives are forever changed, but those girls who had to witness it, my hope is that they go forward and make Ella’s memory a blessing,” she told councilmembers, thanking the village for its support.
An FWC spokesperson said the agency has made “significant progress” investigating her death; anyone with additional information is asked to call 888-404-3922.