Gables man was piloting boat that struck and killed Ransom Everglades student: FWC report
The man who owns the home where investigators found a boat that they suspect struck and killed a 15-year-old Ransom Everglades student was piloting the vessel at the time of the crash, according to a report released Wednesday by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Carlos Guillermo Alonso, 78, owns the Coral Gables home at 11025 Tanya St., where the 42-foot 2020 Boston Whaler boat was docked when FWC agents seized the vessel Tuesday afternoon. He was the only person in the boat and did not stop after the crash, the report said.
READ MORE: Boat behind Gables home seized in crash that killed Ransom Everglades student, FWC says
The report states that a 42-foot 2017 Hanse Fjord operated by Edmund Richard, 30, was towing two girls behind the boat around 4 p.m. Saturday about a mile west of Mashta Point off Key Biscayne.
One of the girls was on a wake board and another was on a wake surfboard. The girls fell off their boards at different times and in different locations, and both were in the water simultaneously, the report said.
Alonso, heading west, “struck the female wake boarder who was in the water, further away” from the boat that was towing her, the report said.
The wake boarder was Ella Riley Adler, a 15-year-old freshman at Ransom Everglades School in Coconut Grove. She died from her injuries.
Alonso’s attorney said in a statement Wednesday evening that her client did not realize that he had struck Ella.
“He has no knowledge whatsoever of having been involved in this accident. If he hit Ella that day, he certainly did not know it,” Lauren Field Krasnoff said in the statement to the Herald. Alonso, who goes by the nickname Bill, has been boating for 50 years and is a “very experienced boater who knows these waters,” the statement said.
“Had Bill thought he hit anything, he absolutely would have stopped. But he did not at any point think that he had hit anything, let alone a person. He docked his boat in plain sight right behind his house, and did not even know there was an accident on the water that day until officers showed up at his door.”
Alonso, who came to the U.S. from Cuba through Operation Peter Pan, has never had contact with the criminal justice system, the attorney said. He doesn’t drink — and wasn’t drinking on Saturday.
“Bill is a good man and he is absolutely devastated by the loss of this intelligent, accomplished and beautiful young woman,” Field Krasnoff said in the statement. “He has cooperated 100% with law enforcement and will continue to do so.”
Also on the boat with Richard were Emma Roberts, 30; Sebastian Pearce, 21; seven 15-year-olds; and three 14-year-olds, according to the FWC report.
FWC investigators had been looking for the boat’s operator since Saturday when he sped away from the crash. They found the boat Tuesday afternoon docked behind the Alonso home off Old Cutler Road in Coral Gables, near Matheson Hammock Park. They seized it and towed it to Port Everglades in Broward.
READ MORE: Girl killed in hit-and-run boat crash off Key Biscayne was a Ransom Everglades student
The FWC said it pieced together witness reports to find the boat.
“Using a description provided by witnesses, the search for the striking vessel began immediately. As of May 14, FWC officers have identified a vessel that fits the description and it is in their custody. The owner of the vessel is cooperating with the investigation,” the FWC said in a statement Tuesday.
When reporters and police were in front of the Alonso home Tuesday afternoon, neighbors closed ranks when asked about the Alonsos and the alleged hit-and-run. They would not answer reporters’ questions and even called Coral Gables police to ask them to order the journalists to leave. Police said the reporters could stay.
Ella mourned by hundreds
Ella was the granddaughter of Michael Adler, the U.S. ambassador to Belgium. Michael Adler was formerly president of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and vice chair of the Florida International University Board of Trustees.
First Lady Jill Biden met with the family on Tuesday.
“We are honored that the First Lady paid a shiva call to our family during this time of immense pain. We are touched by their support and love and we are proud to call the President and First Lady our friends for over 40 years,” according to a statement from the family, as reported by CBS News Miami, the Herald’s news partner.
Ella was a ballerina in more than 100 performances of Miami City Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker.” She also was a member of Ransom’s dance team.
Hundreds attended her funeral service Monday at Temple Beth Sholom in Miami Beach.
“We must remember her as she would have wanted to be remembered, as a star, a force of nature, a glowing and gorgeous young woman who was loved, admired, cherishes and adored by more people than anyone her age would normally be,” eulogized Rabbi Jonathan Berkun, the rabbi at Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center.
Ella’s father, Matthew Adler, remembered his daughter in a letter that was read at the service by one of Ella’s aunts.
“...You were taken from us way to soon, and the world has been robbed of all the things you could have achieved,” he wrote in the letter. “But you will always be here with us and your friends and family will carry your energy and spirit forever.”
READ MORE: ‘The world has been robbed’: Family mourns girl killed in boat crash near Key Biscayne
It’s unknown if the crash was alcohol related, according to FWC. No arrests have been made.
FWC investigators are asking anyone who witnessed the accident or anyone who may have video footage or information to call the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922). The investigation is ongoing.
