Man accused of driving boat that killed girl had ‘no knowledge’ of accident, lawyer says

Authorities in South Florida have identified the boater responsible for the hit-and-run that killed 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 his boat struck Ella Riley Adler, officials said, 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 who was driving the boat left the scene of the accident without stopping, witnesses told the agency. Ella was rescued by the other boat but succumbed to her injuries, the report said.

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

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When was Ella Adler hit by a boat?

According to new information from the report, Ella was struck while wakeboarding off the coast of Key Biscayne on Saturday afternoon.

According to initial reports from the FWC, the girl was water skiing.

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

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

Ella was wakeboarding behind a 2017 42-foot Hanse Fjord yacht near a sandbar while another unidentified woman was wakeboarding, officials wrote in the report.

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

While she was waiting to be rescued from her boat, she was struck by another vessel and fled the scene, officials said. A witness said the boat did not appear to swerve or slow down when it struck the girl.

Ella, who was wearing a life jacket, succumbed to her injuries.

Who is Carlos Guillermo Alonso?

Alonso is 78 and lives in Coral Gables. The city is about 8 kilometers from downtown Miami. According to his lawyer Lauren Krasnoff, her client’s name is Bill.

According to investigators, it is unclear whether Alonso knew that Ella was hit or whether alcohol played a role.

Krasnoff told USA TODAY on Friday that Alonso does not drink and does not know he hit anyone on the water.

Here is his attorney’s full statement to USA TODAY:

“This is the worst tragedy imaginable and before we say anything else, we would like to express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Ella Adler.

Carlos Alonso, known as “Bill,” has been asked several times for comment. As this is an ongoing investigation with which he is fully cooperating, he will not make any further statements to the media other than to say he was deeply shocked to learn that he may have been involved in this terrible tragedy.

I will tell you that Bill, who has been boating for 50 years and is a very experienced boater who knows these waters, was out boating alone on Saturday. He has no knowledge of being involved in this accident. If he hit Ella that day, he certainly did not know. If Bill thought he had hit something, he would have stopped. But at no point did he think he had hit anything, let alone a person. He docked his boat in plain sight right behind his house. When the Fish and Wildlife Service contacted Bill on Sunday, he did not know why they were contacting him. He did not even know there had been an accident on the water the day before, but immediately met with law enforcement, spoke with them without an attorney, and has been cooperating with law enforcement ever since.

Bill is 78 years old and came to the United States from Cuba as part of Operation Peter Pan. He has never had any contact with the criminal justice system. He does not drink and was not drinking on Saturday, May 11, and operated his boat safely and at an appropriate speed.

Bill is a good man and he is deeply saddened by the loss of this intelligent, educated and beautiful young woman. He has cooperated 100% with law enforcement and will continue to do so. As I said, this is an ongoing investigation, so we will have no further comment at this time.”

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

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

Authorities did not say whether Alonso will face charges in connection with the fatal hit-and-run.

They also did not disclose what day they found the suspicious ship.

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Who was Ella Adler?

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

“She was a force of nature and when she was around, everyone was drawn to her,” her obituary reads. “She loved dancing, she loved her friends and most of all, she loved her family.”

According to the Miami Herald, she is the granddaughter of Michael Adler, the current US ambassador to Belgium.

She leaves behind her parents Amanda and Matthew Adler, her younger siblings Jaden and Adalynn, and many other relatives.

Reward offered for Ella Adler’s fatal hit-and-run boating accident

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

All witnesses to the accident are asked to contact the appropriate authorities.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X at @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Driver identified in fatal hit-and-run boating accident in Key Biscayne