Rachel Aliza Nisanov dies in fatal South Florida jet ski crash

Rachel Aliza Nisanov dies in fatal South Florida jet ski crash

Fatal South Florida jet ski crash death of Rachel Aliza Nisanov

A thirteen-year-old girl from Queens was killed in a watercraft accident in South Florida, tragically ending her celebration of eighth grade graduation. The Miami Herald identified Rachel Aliza Nisanov as the victim of the crash in Fort Lauderdale’s Intracoastal Waterway.

According to WTVJ, Nisanov was a passenger on a jet ski operated by her sixteen-year-old sister, Aviva. The Herald reported the family was on a guided tour when the incident occurred.

Miami CBS affiliate WFOR relayed that Rachel’s brother, Yonah, described their father, Rabbi Shlomo Nisanov, as having jumped into the water to save them. Yonah stated, “My father doesn’t even know how to swim.” He added that his sisters were unconscious and wearing life jackets. He credited his father with scraping his hands, feet, and back trying to rescue them.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported the vessel jumped the wake of another boat and crashed into a dock. The Miami Herald noted the prominent Queens Bukharian Jewish family and Rachel’s education at Bnos Malka Academy in Forest Hills, an all-girls school through eighth grade. The Florida trip was apparently a surprise celebration for Rachel’s graduation.