2 Boaters Charged In Miami Beach Hit-And-Run Of Ella Adler

In 2024, FWC officer George Menard announced the seizure of a boat of interest in the fatal hit-and-run of 15-year-old Ella Adler in Biscayne Bay off of Miami Beach, Florida. Credit: FWC

MIAMI BEACH, Florida – In May 2024, 15-year-old Ella Adler was fatally struck by a boat while wakeboarding in Biscayne Bay near Key Biscayne, Florida.

Following a thorough investigation, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced misdemeanor charges against two boat operators on June 3, 2025.

Carlos Guillermo Alonso, 79, the operator of the 42-foot Boston Whaler that struck Adler, was charged on April 28 with two counts of careless operation of a vessel for violating U.S. Coast Guard navigational rules. Edmund Richard Hartley, 31, who was operating the 42-foot Hanse Fjord yacht towing Adler, was charged on April 29 with four counts of careless operation, including failing to maintain a proper lookout.

The incident occurred when Adler and another girl fell off while wakeboarding.

Before Hartley’s vessel could retrieve her, Alonso’s boat allegedly hit Adler and left the scene.

Witnesses described the hit-and-run boat as a center console with a light blue hull, multiple white outboard engines, and blue bottom paint. Investigators later found the boat docked at Alonso’s Coral Gables home.

Alonso’s attorney claimed he was unaware he struck anyone and has been cooperating with authorities.

Both men have pleaded not guilty, with a trial scheduled for June 30.

Adler, a freshman at Ransom Everglades School and a ballerina with the Miami City Ballet.