Authorities Search for Jet Ski Operator After 18-Year-Old Kayaker Killed in Texas Hit-and-Run

Authorities in Texas are asking for the public’s help in identifying a woman accused of fatally striking an 18-year-old kayaker with a jet ski on Grapevine Lake during Memorial Day weekend—and fleeing the scene.

Ava Moore, a former Timber Creek High School student and Air Force Preparatory School cadet, was kayaking on the lake around 5 p.m. Sunday (May 25) when she was hit by a personal watercraft.

Officials say the woman driving the jet ski fled with a male companion immediately after the incident. That pair was later involved in a separate hit-and-run crash while leaving the area, police confirmed.

Moore was pulled ashore by witnesses and rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

One bystander, Lisa Scrabeck, who witnessed the crash and attempted to help Ava, told CBS News Texas that Moore was wearing a life jacket and did not suffer long. “It’s very tragic, and I extend my deepest condolences to the family,” she said.

The passenger on the jet ski remained on the scene and cooperated with law enforcement. However, the driver—now suspected of both the watercraft collision and the subsequent vehicle crash—remains at large.

A photo of the alleged jet ski operator has been released by Grapevine Police. Investigators say she was seen operating the watercraft recklessly earlier that day.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Grapevine Police detectives at cidmail@grapevinetexas.gov.

A fundraising campaign has also been launched to help the Moore family with funeral costs, as tributes continue to pour in.

This is a developing story.