The boater who struck and killed a 15-year-old on Saturday in the Florida Keys is being sought after by the authorities.
Around 4:30 p.m., Ella Riley Adler was water skiing off Key Biscayne near Nixon Beach when she was hit by a center console boat with a light blue hull that was quickly leaving the area, according to a release from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
“She was wearing a life vest, as well as the ski boards on her feet,” a spokesman for the FWC, George Reynaud, stated to WSVN.
According to the site, there was “a lot of blood in the water,” as stated by a first responder over radio communications.
At the time of the accident, the 15-year-old was on a family boat celebrating a friend’s birthday. The captain of the boat, who was leaving Nixon Beach and heading west, is still being sought after by FWC officers.
“The boat has multiple white outboard motors and may have blue or dark blue bottom paint,” FWC stated.
According to the authorities, information concerning the boat and boater involved in the crash could earn up to $20,000 in rewards, with $5,000 coming from Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers. The FWC has invited witnesses to come forward.
Adler participated in the school’s dance team while attending Ransom Everglades School.
According to her obituary, the high school student had been selected to perform as a ballerina in “The Nutcracker” and had seen more than 100 shows at the Adrienne Arsht Center with the Miami City Ballet.
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“When she walked into a room, everyone was drawn to her,” her family stated. “She loved to dance, she loved her friends, and most of all she loved her family.”
“She was the great-granddaughter of Holocaust survivors,” according to her family. “She loved Israel and came from a long line of Jewish leaders with a strong commitment to faith and tikkun olam.”
On the girl’s obituary page, dozens of her pals wrote heartfelt comments.
“At the beginning of this year when Ella joined the dance team, never would I imagine the impact she would have on me,” friend Lauren Scott stated. “From her smile to her contagious laugh, when Ella walked into the studio there was no way not to share her joy.”
Ella was “a wonderful dancer, served on the speech and debate team, and was a member of the Jewish Student Association,” according to a statement from the private school. It also said that Ella “was a treasured friend to many.”
In her condolence message to the Adler family on X, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levina Cava suggested that people “honor her memory by exercising better boat safety to ensure tragedies like this never happen again.”
