Investigators continue search for the hit-and-run boater who killed a 15-year-old girl in Florida

MIAMI (AP) — Investigators continue to search for the boater who fatally struck a 15-year-old girl off a South Florida beach and fled without stopping, while friends and family members mourn her loss.

A funeral service for Ella Adler was held Monday morning at Temple Beth Sholom in Miami Beach. Adler was a freshman at Ransom Everglades School in Coconut Grove and a ballerina with the Miami City Ballet.

“We are heartbroken,” a post on the school’s Facebook page said. “Ella Adler ’27 shined in our classrooms and on our stages, and she embodied the mission of Ransom Everglades School. We wish peace and comfort to her family.”

Adler was skiing near Key Biscayne, just south of Miami, on Saturday afternoon when she fell into the water and was hit by another boat, which immediately sped away, officials said. Witnesses described the hit-and-run craft as a center console boat with a light blue hull, multiple white outboard engines and blue bottom paint, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission statement.

A total reward of up to $20,000 is being offered for information that leads to an arrest.