Boat found searching for vessel that fatally struck Florida teen, authorities say

Investigators located a boat that may have struck and killed the 15-year-old granddaughter of a U.S. diplomat near Key Biscayne, Florida, on Saturday, authorities said.

The boat matches the description of the one that struck Ella Adler and is in custody, authorities said Tuesday. The boat's owner is cooperating with the investigation, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission said.

The vessel did not stop after striking the teen, and a $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the case.

Ella, the granddaughter of U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Michael M. Adler, fell into the water near Nixon Beach in Miami-Dade County while water skiing and was hit by a boat around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, according to a news release from the fish and wildlife agency. the commission said.

Ella was a “star” and a “force of nature,” a ballerina with the Miami City Ballet, “proud to be Jewish” and a member of the Everglades Ransom Jewish Student Association, an obituary said.

“We are heartbroken,” Ransom Everglades School said in a Facebook post.

“Ella Adler ’27 shined in our classrooms and on our stages, and she embodied the mission of the Ransom Everglades School. We wish peace and comfort to his family,” the message added.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the Adler family during this difficult time,” the U.S. Embassy in Belgium said in a statement. “Out of respect for their privacy, we don’t have anything else.”

The boat that struck the teen was “described as a center console boat with a light blue hull. It is equipped with multiple white outboard motors and may have blue or dark blue underpainting,” the wildlife commission said. Authorities also said he was last seen “heading west from Nixon Beach in Key Biscayne.”

Anyone with video footage of the incident or information is asked to call the Wildlife Alert hotline or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers. The witnesses' descriptions were helpful in locating the boat they have in custody, authorities said.

“The world lost a star this weekend. “She was beautiful and shone brightly,” the family said in a statement shared through their attorney, Etan Mark, with CNN affiliate WFOR. “In 15 years, she brought us more light that we could never have dreamed of. As we deal with this unspeakable tragedy, we ask the public to allow us our privacy while we grieve.

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