Ella Adler: Boater who hit and killed teen ballerina at Key Biscayne at large as $20K reward set for info
MIAMI, FLORIDA: A 15-year-old ballerina lost her life in a tragic hit-and-run boat accident while she was waterskiing.
Ransom Everglades School student, Ella Riley Adler was celebrating her friend's birthday on Saturday, May 11, afternoon in Nixon Beach, Key Biscayne, when a boat struck her and quickly drove off, WSVN reports.
Ella Riley Adler killed in a hit-and-run boat crash
First responders reported that "a lot of blood" was coming out of Ella's body, leaving the Miami City Ballet dancer floating in the water. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), which is looking into the hit-and-run, stated that no suspect has been found as of yet.
Miami Crime Stoppers have also contributed $5,000 to the $20,000 reward authorities are offering for information that leads to an arrest.
According to the FWC, Ella was struck by a boat with a darker blue bottom and was described as light blue while she was in the water wearing her skis and life jacket. Per a witness, Ella was hit by the fishing boat's center console, and the vehicle did not appear to swerve or slow down as it got closer to the teenager, as reported by NBC 6.
Who was Ella Riley Adler?
Ella was a young dancer who performed in over 100 shows with Miami City Ballet, and her death has left her family and the community in shock.
“Miami City Ballet School are utterly devastated by the heartbreaking news of this tragic accident,” The dance company said in a statement.
“Ella Adler was not just a beloved student and a magnificent dancer who graced our stage in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker; she was an integral part of our family, radiating potential and promise whose kindness, warmth, and infectious joy were known to all,” it added, according to New York Post.
Ella's funeral service took place on May 13, at the Temple Beth Shalom synagogue. During the service, family and friends praised Ella's talent and radiant personality, citing her enrollment in Ransom Everglades School.
“Her magnetism radiated on the stage, where she belonged and thrived,” her obituary read. “Her love of dance continued at Ransom Everglades, where she performed on the dance team and, just a few weeks ago, in the school play,” it said.
Ella was a proud granddaughter of Holocaust survivors and a member of the Ransom Everglades Jewish Students Association, according to her family. Ella was a model student, according to Ransom Everglades Head of School Rachel Rodriguez, whose passing shocked the neighborhood.
“Our hearts are broken and our community has been devastated by this tragedy. Ella shined in our classrooms and on our stages, and she embodied the mission of Ransom Everglades School,” Rodriguez said in a statement.
