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Two Florida men are facing misdemeanor charges in connection with the boating hit-and-run death of a 15-year-old high school freshman who was wakeboarding with friends last year, authorities announced.
Carlos “Bill” Alonso, 79, has been charged with violating two U.S. Coast Guard navigational rules, while Edmund Hartley, 31, faces charges of violating four Coast Guard rules, as reported by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC).
In May 2024, the tragic incident occurred when Ella Adler, 15, and a friend were wakeboarding at Key Biscayne’s Nixon Beach, situated south of Miami. The girls were being pulled by a boat operated by Hartley, which was carrying around twelve people. Unfortunately, both girls fell into the water at different spots, according to officials.
The Cape Florida Lighthouse in Key Biscayne, Florida. (iStock)
“She loved Israel and came from a long line of Jewish leaders with a strong commitment to faith and tikkun olam,” her obituary reads. “She wore her identity proudly and loudly, just like her parents.”
The attorney representing Hartley did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
“The FWC extends its deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Ella Adler,” a spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Our thoughts remain with them as they continue to cope with this unimaginable loss.”
Both men are charged with multiple counts of careless operation of a vessel and have pleaded not guilty.
“My deepest condolences to the Adler family,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava previously posted to X. “Let’s honor her memory by exercising better boat safety, to ensure tragedies like this never happen again. May she rest in peace.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
