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

A person has been arrested after cellphone video captured what gave the impression 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 "delight ourselves on defending and spreading awareness on the attractive waters we get to call home," was shot just 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 handed them and expressed our disagreement, we have been ignored they usually 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 people on a ship popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola experiences

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

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

“As a neighborhood, we share the responsibility to protect the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in a statement. "I am extraordinarily happy 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 may suggest to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram stories, saying he was not liable for the balloon popping.

"First off, I need to put my coronary heart out and say how necessary it is to protect our surroundings," he mentioned.

Cloud 9, an occasion planning firm, additionally deflected duty in an announcement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor embellished the boat and left. We decorated the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we always do. We are by no means accountable for removing balloon decorations," the assertion read in part.

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

"I used to be fairly upset about it, this is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna said. "I used to be here after they have been setting them up and then initially I didn't actually suppose a lot of it however I guess because the day was completed they usually began popping away and letting them all go into the water I was shocked."

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

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys serious, is this something you are going to do proper now?' [They] form of simply 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 those balloons into the water."

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

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.