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 several boaters popping balloons and letting the trash fall into the water near a Coconut Grove marina on Tuesday.

The video posted by MMG Outboard Division, a bunch who says they "delight ourselves on defending and spreading awareness on the beautiful waters we get to call dwelling," was shot simply after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Touchdown Marina.

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

"As we passed them and expressed our disagreement, we had been ignored and they continued popping away with no care on the earth," the group posted in 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 reviews

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

The man was identified as 29-year-old David Torres-Bocanegra. He was charged with reckless disregard for the surroundings.

“As a neighborhood, we share the duty to guard the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in a press release. "I am extremely proud of our Unlawful Dumping Unit, for their thorough investigation and swift conclusion to this case."

David Torres-Bocanegra

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

"First off, I need to put my coronary heart out and say how necessary it's to guard our surroundings," he said.

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

"Our balloon vendor decorated the boat and left. We embellished the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we all the time do. We're by no means in control of removing balloon decorations," the statement learn in part.

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

"I was pretty upset about it, this is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I used to be right here after they had been setting them up and then initially I did not really think a lot of it but I assume because the day was finished and so they began popping away and letting all of them go into the water I was shocked."

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

"I discussed to them,' are you guys severe, is this something you're going to do proper now?' [They] kind of just blew me off, ignored me," Bruna said. "It was horrifying to see what they had been 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 mentioned balloons can be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to inside damage, hunger, and death.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.