Authorities in Florida say they’ve discovered a boat thought to be involved in a hit-and-run that killed a teenager wakeboarding in the Miami area over the weekend.
A boat struck Ella Adler, 15, while she was wakeboarding near Nixon Beach in Key Biscayne on Saturday afternoon, according to Officer George Reynaud, a spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
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According to Reynaud, the youngster had fallen in the ocean while being towed about a mile from shore and was waiting to be collected by her boat when another vessel struck her tragically. The boat that struck the teen did not come to a stop, according to the FWC.
Following a days-long search, the FWC announced Tuesday that it has a boat matching the description provided by witnesses of the impacting vessel in its possession. The FWC stated that the boat’s owner is cooperating with the inquiry.
The FWC has called in additional personnel and “worked around the clock” to locate the vessel, FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto said Tuesday.
In a statement, Barreto expressed his heartbreak for the Adler family as a father and grandfather. “Ella’s loss has devastated her family, friends, and the community at large. “The FWC and our partner law enforcement agencies will not stop until we have all of the answers and the case is resolved.”
The investigation is underway. The FWC encouraged anyone with information or footage to contact them.
The yacht sought in connection with the incident was characterized as a center console boat with a light blue hull, maybe blue or dark blue bottom paint, and multiple white outboard engines, according to the FWC. Reynaud estimated that it was between 30 and 40 feet long.
According to Reynaud, the FWC and Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers are offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information in the inquiry, while Adler’s family is contributing $10,000.
“This weekend, the world lost a star. “Ella was stunning and shone brightly. “In her 15 years, she gave us more light than we could have ever imagined,” her parents, Amanda and Matt Adler, told ABC News. “While we cope with this unspeakable tragedy, we hope the public will help us find the person who took her from us.”
Ella Adler attended Ransom Everglades School, a college prep day school in the Miami area. The institution praised her as an “outstanding student, a wonderful dancer, and an active member of the Jewish Student Association and speech and debate team.”
The school wrote, “This tragedy has broken our hearts and devastated our community.” “Ella shone in our classrooms and on our stages, embodied the mission of Ransom Everglades School.”
Adler was a ballerina who featured in over 100 performances with the Miami City Ballet, according to her obituary, which described her as a “star” and a “force of nature.”
