New details are emerging about the 78-year-old Florida man who was identified as the boater who fatally struck 15-year-old Ella Adler.
Adler was struck by a boat after she fell into the water while wakeboarding in Key Biscayne on Saturday. She died from her injuries. The boat took off, prompting a search lasting several days. Officials found the vessel on Tuesday and took it to an evidence compound.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) identified Carlos Guillermo Alonso, a Coral Gables resident, as the person operating the vessel in an accident report obtained by Newsweek. The FWC said Alonso was also the owner of the vessel, and the only person on the boat a 42-foot-long Boston Whaler, at the time of the accident.
His attorney, Lauren Field Krasnoff, told Newsweek that Alonso who often goes by the nickname "Bill" was unaware of what happened on Saturday.
"I will tell you that Bill, who has been boating for 50 years and is a very experienced boater who knows these waters, was out boating by himself on Saturday," Krasnoff said. "He has no knowledge whatsoever of having been involved in this accident. If he hit Ella that day, he certainly did not know it. 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."
Krasnoff said Alonso parked his boat "in plain sight" at the dock behind his house and he is assisting law enforcement as they investigate.
The FWC also said Alonso is cooperating with authorities. The commission did not share if they plan to charge Alonso for Adler's death when contacted via email by Newsweek.
Alonso has no criminal history and does not drink, according to Krasnoff. She added that he was driving his boat at a "reasonable rate of speed."
"Bill is a good man and he is absolutely devastated by the loss of this intelligent,
accomplished and beautiful young woman," Krasnoff said.
Alonso lives in a home valued at $3.5 to $4 million in a gated community with private lakes and schools, the New York Post reported. The property also has its own dock.
Alonso is the president of an air conditioning installation company in Miami-Dade county. His wife is vice president of the company.
The couple have several children and grandchildren.
Alonso immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba in the early 1960s.
Prior to the deadly accident, Adler was on a boat with 13 others on a 42-foot Hanse Fjord walk-around. The individuals on the vessel included 11 teenagers, a 21-year-old and two people in their 30s.
Another female on the boat was wake surfboarding at the same time as Adler. She fell into the water in a different location than Adler. She was unharmed in the incident.
The FWC said it is making "significant progress" in the investigation, but they are still seeking help from the public. Anyone who witnessed or has video footage of the incident should contact the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).
"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Ella Adler during this incredibly difficult time," the FWC said.
First Lady Jill Biden visited Adler's family in Florida on Tuesday to pay her condolences, according to CBS News. The Miami Beach teen is the granddaughter of US Ambassador to Belgium Michael M. Adler Adler.
Adler was a ballerina who appeared in over 100 performances of "The Nutcracker" with the Miami City Ballet at the Adrienne Arsht Center, according to her obituary. She was also a part of the dance team, school play and the Jewish Students Association at Ransom Everglades School in Miami.
"In her 15 years on this earth, she dazzled us with her light," the obituary said. "She emanated love and joy. She was beautiful. When she walked into a room, everyone was drawn to her. She loved to dance, she loved her friends, and most of all she loved her family."
She also was proud of her Jewish faith and was a member of the Jewish Students Association at school.
"Today, our hearts ache as we mourn the loss of a bright young soul," Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said on X. "My deepest condolences to the Adler family. Let's honor her memory by exercising better boat safety, to ensure tragedies like this never happen again. May she rest in peace."
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