Authorities are continuing their search for a boat that struck and killed a girl in Biscayne Bay on Saturday afternoon as new photos show the aftermath of the tragedy.
The young girl was identified as 15-year-old Ella Riley Adler, who was a student and an accomplished ballet performer, according to Ransom Everglades Head of School Rachel Rodriguez.
Officials said the boating incident happened near Nixon Beach in Miami-Dade County around 4:30 p.m.
The girl had been waterskiing before she was struck by a vessel, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said.
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On the condition of anonymity, NBC6 spoke to a witness who offered a firsthand account of the tragic incident.
The witness also provided NBC6 a photo of the immediate aftermath, which captured what appeared to be gray yacht next to a police boat. The witness said the victim was waterskiing from the gray yacht.
According to the witness, the girl was in the water when she was struck by a large center console fishing boat. They said boat that hit the victim did not appear to swerve or slow down. Following the collision, the witness said they heard distress signals and screams over the radio coming from the yacht.
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Officials also said the vessel that fatally hit her was described as a light blue center console, possibly with blue or dark blue bottom paint and three or four white outboard engines. It was last seen heading westbound from Nixon Beach in Key Biscayne.
FWC officials also confirmed to NBC6 on Sunday that the girl was not actively waterskiing when she was hit.
“The victim was waterskiing. And at the time of the impact, she was not actively waterskiing. She was just in the water with the board attached to her feet and wearing a life jacket," an FWC spokesperson said.
The witness described the yacht as urgently blaring its horn while circling back to the girl.
The FWC says a reward of up to $20,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest or aiding the investigation.
Anyone with information on this incident is urged to call the FWC’s hotline at 888-404-3922.
This is a developing story. Check back with NBC6 for updates.
