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

A man has been arrested after cellphone video captured what seemed 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 "pride ourselves on protecting and spreading consciousness on the attractive waters we get to name home," was shot just after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Landing 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 were ignored and 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 reviews

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

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

“As a neighborhood, we share the responsibility to guard our surroundings," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in an announcement. "I'm extraordinarily pleased with 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 may suggest to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram tales, saying he was not chargeable for the balloon popping.

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

Cloud 9, an event planning company, additionally deflected accountability in a statement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor embellished the boat and left. We decorated the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we all the time do. We are never in control of removing balloon decorations," the statement read partially.

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

"I was fairly upset about it, that is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna said. "I was right here after they were setting them up and then initially I did not actually suppose a lot of it but I assume because the day was finished and they began popping away and letting them all go into the water I used to be shocked."

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

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

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee stated balloons will be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can result in inside injury, starvation, and dying.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.