Authorities have identified the 78-year-old man who was operating the boat involved in a tragic hit-and-run incident off a South Florida beach. The incident resulted in the death of 15-year-old Ella Adler. The man, who owns a home in Coral Gables, was the sole occupant of the boat at the time of the crash.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers located and seized the boat on Tuesday. The investigation is ongoing, and as of now, no criminal charges have been filed in connection with the incident.
The tragic event occurred while Adler and another girl were wakeboarding near Key Biscayne on Saturday afternoon. After falling off the boat, Adler was struck by another vessel that fled the scene. Witnesses described the hit-and-run boat as a center console with a light blue hull, multiple white outboard engines, and blue bottom paint.
Adler, a freshman at Ransom Everglades School and a ballerina with the Miami City Ballet, was mourned at a funeral service held at Temple Beth Sholom in Miami Beach on Monday morning.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident and has not yet determined what charges, if any, will be filed against the boat operator.
