Florida authorities identified the man driving the boat that struck and killed 15-year-old Ella Adler on Saturday as 78-year-old Cuban immigrant Carlos “Bill” Alonso, but his attorney said it’s not clear he was the one who hit the girl in Biscayne Bay.
Lauren Field Krasnoff told reporters on Wednesday that Adler’s death was “an absolutely horrific thing that happened,” adding that Alonso is an “experienced boater” who was alone in his boat on Saturday,” WFOR reported.
“If he was the person that was involved in this accident, and I want to be clear, we don’t know that yet. If he was he had absolutely no idea of his involvement,” the attorney said.
Krasnoff said Alonso would not be making a statement himself while the investigation is ongoing.
“When the police came knocking, he did not know why,” she said. “We’re not sure if he was involved. But if he was he absolutely did not know what had happened. He docked his boat in plain sight. And most importantly, he’s been cooperative with law enforcement and with anybody that has a need to need it to investigate what happened on the water that day.”
Krasnoff further said that Alonso does not drink and was not drinking on Saturday.
732930824-FWC24ON0038760-updated-2 by kc wildmoon on Scribd
“He’s a good man, and he is devastated by what has happened. We’re going to keep that statement. That will be the end of the statement for now. The investigation is ongoing. And Bill will continue to cooperate with law enforcement.”
An incident report filed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) names Alonso as the operator of the 42-foot boat that struck Adler Saturday afternoon. The report says that Adler and another person were on wakeboards, towed by another 42-foot boat about a mile offshore, when both fell into the water at separate times. Investigators said Alonso’s boat hit Adler before her boat could come around to pick her up, as CrimeOnline reported.
WTVJ said that 13 people were aboard Adler’s boat, including a 30-year-old man who was driving it.
Investigators had a description of the boat that struck the girl and launched a search for it. They found it on Tuesday behind Alonso’s Coral Gables home and towed it in for the investigation.
Rodney Barreto, the chairman of the FWC, said that “good old-fashioned police work by our officers” found the boat, WFOR reported.
“We asked them to go up and down the canals from Coconut Grove to South Miami,” he said. “They went up and down the canals with the physical description they had and recognized the boat.”
Barreto said that Alonso was cooperating with investigators, adding that “we have some physical evidence that we have recovered that we sent to our state lab for testing.”
It’s not clear at this point if Alonso will face charges.
Adler, a freshman at Ransom Everglades High School, was also an accomplished dancer who performed with the Miami City Ballet.
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[Featured image: Ella Adler/handout]
