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

A person has been arrested after cellphone video captured what seemed to be a number of 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 group who says they "delight ourselves on defending and spreading awareness on the attractive waters we get to name home," was shot simply after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Landing Marina.

Two individuals 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 they usually continued popping away with no care in the world," 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 experiences

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

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

“As a community, we share the responsibility to protect our surroundings," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez mentioned in a press release. "I'm extremely pleased with our Illegal Dumping Unit, for their thorough investigation and swift conclusion to this case."

David Torres-Bocanegra

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

"First off, I want to put my coronary heart out and say how vital it's to guard the environment," he stated.

Cloud Nine, an event planning firm, additionally deflected duty in an announcement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor embellished the boat and left. We decorated the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we always do. We're by no means accountable for removing balloon decorations," the assertion learn partly.

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

"I used to be pretty upset about it, that is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I used to be right here once they had been setting them up and then initially I did not really suppose much of it however I guess because the day was carried out and they began popping away and letting them all go into the water I used to be shocked."

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

"I discussed to them,' are you guys severe, is this one thing you are going to do proper now?' [They] kind of just blew me off, ignored me," Bruna stated. "It was horrifying to see what they have been doing to the marine life and the waterways by simply dumping all of those balloons into the water."

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee said balloons could be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can result in inside harm, starvation, and loss of life.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.