Driver identified in fatal boat hit-and-run in Key Biscayne

Authorities in South Florida have identified the person driving a boat responsible for the hit-and-run death of a 15-year-old girl over the weekend.

Carlos Guillermo Alonso, 78, of Coral Gables, was piloting a 42-foot Boston Whaler in Key Biscayne when authorities said his boat struck Ella Riley Adler, according to a Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission incident report obtained by the Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK.

According to the report, the girl was wakeboarding and fell into the water before being hit by Alonso’s boat.

The man driving the boat left the scene without stopping, witnesses told the agency. Ella was picked up by the other boat but died from her injuries, according to the report.

Here’s what we know so far about the fatal hit-and-run incident:

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When was Ella Adler hit by a boat?

According to new information released in the report, Ella was struck while wakeboarding in the waters off Key Biscayne Saturday afternoon.

Initial reports from the FWC indicated the girl was water skiing.

The agency reported that Ella fell into the ocean near Nixon Beach while being towed about a mile from shore and was struck by another vessel at 4:30 p.m.

The beach is in Miami-Dade County, about 7 miles south of downtown Miami.

Ella was wakeboarding behind a 42-foot 2017 Hanse Fjord yacht near a sandbar at the same time another unidentified woman was riding a wake surf board, officers wrote in the report.

Ella and the other towed female fell into the water at different times and in different places.

As he waited to be picked up by his boat, another vessel struck him and fled, officials said. A witness said the boat did not appear to be swerving or slowing down when it struck the girl.

Ella, who was wearing a life jacket, died from her injuries.

Who is Carlos Guillermo Alonso?

Alonso is 78 years old and lives in Coral Gables. The city is located approximately 5 miles from downtown Miami. According to his lawyer, Lauren Krasnoff, his client’s name is Bill.

Investigators said it was unclear whether Alonso knew Ella had been hit or whether alcohol was a factor.

In a statement shared by Local10.com, Krasnoff said Alonso did not drink.

“Bill, who has been boating for 50 years and is a very experienced boater who knows these waters, was alone in the boat Saturday,” Krasnoff wrote in the release. “He has no knowledge of having been involved in this accident. If he had hit Ella that day, he certainly didn’t know. If Bill had thought he had hit something, he absolutely would have arrested But at no time did he think that he had hit anything, let alone a person.

“He docked his boat in plain sight right behind his house and didn’t even know there had been an accident on the water that day until officers showed up at his door,” wrote Krasnoff.

USA TODAY contacted Krasnoff.

The FWC reported that Alonso’s vessel was in custody Tuesday and that Alonso was cooperating with the investigation.

Has anyone been arrested in connection with Ella Adler’s death?

Officials have not said whether Alonso faces charges in connection with the fatal hit-and-run.

They also did not specify the day they located the suspicious vessel.

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Who was Ella Adler?

Ella, a ballerina, lived in Miami Beach, officials said, and attended Ransom Everglades High School in Miami.

“She was a force of nature, and when she was near, everyone felt a gravitational pull toward her,” her obituary read. “She loved to dance, she loved her friends, and most of all, she loved her family.”

She is the granddaughter of Michael Adler, the current U.S. ambassador to Belgium, according to the Miami Herald.

She is survived by her parents, Amanda and Matthew Adler, her younger siblings Jaden and Adalynn, and many other loved ones.

Reward offered in Ella Adler’s boat hit-and-run death

A $20,000 reward – $10,000 from Ella’s family and a total of $10,000 from FWC and Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers – is being offered for information in this case.

Anyone who witnessed the accident is asked to contact these agencies.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.