Back
Two men charged after ballerina was hit by boat while wakeboarding
Jun 4, 2025
Charges have been filed against two men in connection to the tragic death of a beautiful 15-year-old ballerina who was fatally struck by a boat while wakeboarding.
Carlos Guillermo Alonso, 79, was charged with two misdemeanors for careless operation of a vessel and Edmund Richard Hartley, 31, has been charged with four misdemeanors for careless operation of a vessel, in relation to the death of Ella Adler.
On May 11, 2024, Adler and another girl were wakeboarding behind a 42-foot Hanse Fjord walk-around near Key Biscayne, just south of Miami, before falling off at different spots, officials said. A dozen people had been on the boat pulling her.
Before the vessel, operated by Hartley, could return to collect her, Adler was hit by another boat, allegedly driven by Alonso, which immediately sped away, officials said.
After several witnesses described the hit-and-run vessel and what they saw, including mentions of 'a lot of blood in the water,' investigators eventually found the boat, a Boston whaler, docked behind Alonso's Coral Gables home.
Alonso, who also goes by Bill, said he didn't realize he had struck Adler, according to his attorneys.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said both men were charged following a 'thorough investigation' into her tragic death.
Both are accused of violating the U.S. Coast Guard navigational rules on responsibility and look-out while on the water, and Hartley has additionally been charged with violating rules regarding risk of collision and action to avoid it, per the FWC.
15Shares
0Comments
14Favorites
6Likes
No content at this moment.