Girl killed in hit-and-run boat crash off Key Biscayne was Ransom student. Boater at large
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A girl killed Saturday in a hit-and-run boat crash off Key Biscayne has been identified as 15-year-old Ella Riley Adler.
Ella, a student and member of the dance team at Ransom Everglades School, emanated love and joy, the girl’s family said in her obituary. She was cast as a ballerina in The Nutcracker, appearing in more than 100 performances with the Miami City Ballet at the Adrienne Arsht Center.
“When she walked into a room, everyone was drawn to her,” her family said. “She loved to dance, she loved her friends, and most of all she loved her family — her parents, Amanda and Matthew, and her younger siblings Jaden and Adalynn.”
Around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Ella was water skiing near Key Biscayne’s Nixon Beach when a boater hit her and sped away, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The boat was last seen heading west from Nixon Beach, FWC said. The vessel has a light blue center console, possibly with blue or dark blue bottom paint, and three or four white outboard engines.
A first responder reported seeing a lot of blood in the water, according to WSVN 7News. The TV station said Ella was celebrating a friend’s birthday on a family boat.
Family mourns Ella
Ella’s family said she was compassionate.
“She always believed in speaking up for what was right and she always spoke her mind, but with warmth and grace,” her family said.
The 15-year-old was also proud of her Jewish heritage.
“She was the great-granddaughter of Holocaust survivors,” her family said. “She loved Israel and came from a long line of Jewish leaders with a strong commitment to faith and tikkun olam.”
Ella’s service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Temple Beth Sholom, 4144 Chase Ave., in Miami Beach.
A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for anonymous tips that lead to the arrest of the boater.
Anyone with information about the boat crash is asked to call the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922. To make an anonymous tip, call Miami-Dade & the Florida Keys Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS (8477) or visit crimestoppers305.com.
Omar is a bilingual and bicultural journalist, covering breaking news in South Florida for the Miami Herald. He has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor’s degree in education from the Universidad de Puerto Rico en Río Piedras.
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