{"id":856,"date":"2026-05-26T20:35:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T20:35:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=856"},"modified":"2026-05-26T20:35:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T20:35:21","slug":"boat-captain-avoids-jail-in-2024-death-of-teen-wakeboarder-in-biscayne-bay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=856","title":{"rendered":"Boat captain avoids jail in 2024 death of teen wakeboarder in Biscayne Bay"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A boating captain admitted he broke two Florida navigational rules in connection with the death of a 15-year-old who was struck and killed by a passing boat after falling into Biscayne Bay while wakeboarding two years ago.<\/p>\n

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The incident happened during what began as a fun day on the water with friends for Ella Adler back on May 11, 2024. According to prosecutors, Adler was wakeboarding alongside another teen when she fell into the water.<\/p>\n

But authorities say the hired captain of the boat towing Adler, identified as Edmund Hartley, continued and did not immediately stop as he had previously done.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy the defendant\u2019s decision to continue pulling Ella\u2019s friend even after Ella had fallen, he put Ella in peril and in mortal danger,\u201d prosecutor Laura Adams told the court.<\/p>\n

Moments later, Adler was struck and killed by a passing boat. The other teen, despite also jumping off, survived.<\/p>\n

Adler was a student at Ransom Everglades High School and an accomplished ballet performer who’d appeared in over 100 performances with the Miami City Ballet at the Adrienne Arsht Center.<\/p>\n

During Tuesday\u2019s court hearing, Adler\u2019s father delivered an emotional statement directly to Hartley.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe understand you did not intend for Ella to die,\u201d Matthew Adler said. “But intent alone cannot define accountability. Responsibility matters. Judgment matters. Vigilance matters. When those responsible fail, the consequences can be catastrophic and irreversible. Ella paid for those failures with her life.”<\/p>\n

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He described his daughter as “a devoted daughter, a beloved sister, and a fiercely loyal friend.”<\/p>\n

“Her life was filled with love, laughter, dance, and meaning,” he said. “Ella didn\u2019t just live \u2014 she danced through life. And now she is gone.”<\/p>\n

Hartley pleaded guilty to violating navigational rules. He avoided jail time and was sentenced to one year of probation. He must also complete a boating safety course and donate to a victim’s fund.<\/p>\n

Prosecutors acknowledged frustration over the limited penalties available under current Florida law.<\/p>\n

“Probably we would all like to see more significant punishments for these types of offenses,” Adams said. “The legislature has seen fit to make them only second-degree misdemeanors, so our hands are tied in what we can seek in these cases.”<\/p>\n

Court officials said Hartley may have his plea vacated, and the case dismissed if he successfully completes all court-ordered conditions.<\/p>\n

Carlos Guillermo “Bill” Alonso, 79, the driver of the passing boat that struck and killed Adler, also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months of probation.<\/p>\n

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Hartley and his attorney did not want to comment after Tuesday’s hearing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A boating captain admitted he broke two Florida navigational rules in connection with the death of a 15-year-old who was struck and killed by a passing boat\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":855,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-miami-dade-county"],"yoast_head":"\nBoat captain avoids jail in 2024 death of teen wakeboarder in Biscayne Bay - Jacksonville Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=856\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Boat captain avoids jail in 2024 death of teen wakeboarder in Biscayne Bay - 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