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

A man 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 near a Coconut Grove marina on Tuesday.

The video posted by MMG Outboard Division, a group who says they "delight ourselves on protecting and spreading consciousness on the gorgeous waters we get to call residence," was shot simply after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Touchdown 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 had been ignored they usually continued popping away with no care on the earth," 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 experiences

Miami-Dade Police mentioned 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 environment.

“As a group, we share the responsibility to guard our surroundings," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez mentioned in a press release. "I'm extremely proud of our Unlawful 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 suggest to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram tales, saying he was not responsible for the balloon popping.

"First off, I want to put my coronary heart out and say how vital it is to protect our surroundings," he said.

Cloud Nine, an event planning firm, additionally deflected accountability in a press release on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor embellished the boat and left. We embellished the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we at all times do. We're never answerable for removing balloon decorations," the assertion learn partially.

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

"I was fairly upset about it, this is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna stated. "I used to be here once they had been setting them up after which initially I did not actually think a lot of it but I assume as the day was performed they usually started popping away and letting all of them go into the water I was shocked."

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

"I discussed to them,' are you guys severe, is this one thing you're going to do right now?' [They] type of just blew me off, ignored me," Bruna said. "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 might be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can result in internal injury, starvation, and demise.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.