Two men have been charged in connection with the May 2024 boating crash that killed 15-year-old Ella Adler near the Nixon Beach Sandbar in Biscayne Bay, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.
Adler, of Miami Beach, was wakeboarding during a birthday celebration on May 11, 2024, when she fell into the water and was fatally struck by another vessel.
Following a yearlong investigation, FWC filed misdemeanor charges against both the operator of the boat that hit Adler and the operator of the boat towing her, the agency said Tuesday.
Carlos Guillermo Alonso, 79, of Coral Gables, was charged on April 28 with careless operation of a vessel and violations of U.S. Coast Guard Navigational Rules, including failure to maintain a proper lookout and general responsibility while operating a vessel.
Edmund Richard Hartley, 31, who was operating the vessel towing Adler at the time of the incident, was charged the next day with four misdemeanors: careless operation and violations of navigational rules relating to lookout, responsibility, risk of collision and action to avoid collision.
According to investigators, two girls fell into the water west of Washta Point after wakeboarding.
As Hartley turned the boat to retrieve them, Alonso’s vessel struck Adler, authorities said.
The other girl in the water was unharmed and was the first to reach Adler to help bring her to safety.
FWC said Alonso left the area and did not stop after the collision. His vessel was later seized and examined as part of the investigation.
Read MoreWSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale
