Teen Struck Dead in Boat Hit-and-Run

(BrightPress.org) – Fifteen-year-old Ella Riley Adler was killed on Saturday, May 11th when a fishing boat collided with her in the water and fled the scene.

Adler was celebrating a friend’s birthday at Nixon Beach in Key Biscayne, Florida when the accident occurred. She was in the water wearing a life vest and water skis when she was hit. The boat that struck Adler is described by witnesses as light blue with a darker blue bottom. One witness said the boat never even slowed down as it approached and then struck the girl in the water. The boat then left the scene going west from Nixon Beach. There is a $20,000 reward for tips that lead to the location and arrest of the driver of the boat. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is investigating the incident.

Adler was an avid dancer with the Miami City Ballet. She was cast in performances of The Nutcracker and had appeared on stage more than 100 times. Her family said she thrived on the stage. In her obituary, Adler was described as a star with a magnetic personality. She leaves behind her parents, Amanda and Matthew, and two younger siblings, Jaden and Adalynn.

The Miami City Ballet said in a statement that Adler was an “integral part of our family” that radiated kindness and joy. Adler attended Ransom Everglades, a private school in Miami Beach. Rachel Rodriguez, Head of School, said Adler “shined” in the classroom and that the school was devastated by her passing.

Adler was the great-granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor and proudly embraced being Jewish. She was a member of the Ransom Everglades Jewish Students Association. A funeral service for Adler was held at the Temple Beth Shalom synagogue on Monday, May 13th where her family and friends remembered her fondly.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levina expressed her condolences to the family with a post on X requesting the public honor Adler’s memory by “exercising better boat safety” to prevent future tragedies.

On Tuesday afternoon, police located a boat fitting the description of the one that killed Adler in the Coral Gables neighborhood. The boat was seized for forensic investigation. The owner of the home where the boat was parked claims that he was not the one behind the wheel the day Adler was killed and is fully cooperating with law enforcement.