Arrest Made in Balloon Littering Investigation at Coconut Grove Marina – NBC 6 South Florida

A person has been arrested after cellphone video captured what appeared to be a number of boaters popping balloons and letting the trash fall into the water close to a Coconut Grove marina on Tuesday.

The video posted by MMG Outboard Division, a bunch who says they "satisfaction ourselves on defending and spreading consciousness on the gorgeous waters we get to name residence," was shot simply after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Touchdown Marina.

Two folks onboard the boat are seen popping balloons and letting them fall into the water.

"As we passed them and expressed our disagreement, we have been ignored and so they continued popping away with no care in the world," the group posted of their message.

Miami-Dade police have made an arrest after cellphone video surfaced of individuals on a boat popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola stories

Miami-Dade Police stated Wednesday evening that they arrested one man and handed out 9 civil citations.

The person was recognized as 29-year-old David Torres-Bocanegra. He was charged with reckless disregard for the atmosphere.

“As a neighborhood, we share the duty to protect our surroundings," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in a press release. "I'm extremely happy with our Illegal Dumping Unit, for his or her thorough investigation and swift conclusion to this case."

David Torres-Bocanegra

Tom Rivas, who rented the boat so he may propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram tales, saying he was not chargeable for the balloon popping.

"First off, I wish to put my coronary heart out and say how necessary it's to protect our environment," he said.

Cloud 9, an event planning company, also deflected responsibility in a press release on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor decorated the boat and left. We embellished the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we at all times do. We're never in charge of removing balloon decorations," the assertion learn partially.

Esteban Bruna, a yacht dealer, shot the cellphone video.

"I was pretty upset about it, this is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I used to be here once they were setting them up after which initially I didn't actually think a lot of it but I guess because the day was performed and they began popping away and letting them all go into the water I was shocked."

One witness mentioned the balloons could have been a part of a marriage proposal. Bruna stated he confronted the people.

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys critical, is this one thing you're going to do proper now?' [They] sort of just blew me off, ignored me," Bruna said. "It was horrifying to see what they were doing to the marine life and the waterways by simply dumping all of these balloons into the water."

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission stated balloons can be mistaken for food by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to inner harm, hunger, and death.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.