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 close to a Coconut Grove marina on Tuesday.

The video posted by MMG Outboard Division, a bunch who says they "pride ourselves on defending and spreading awareness on the gorgeous waters we get to name home," was shot simply after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Landing Marina.

Two people 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 and so they continued popping away with no care on the planet," the group posted of their message.

Miami-Dade police have made an arrest after cellphone video surfaced of people on a boat popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola reviews

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 neighborhood, we share the accountability to protect our surroundings," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez mentioned in a press release. "I'm extremely 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 responsible for the balloon popping.

"First off, I want to put my coronary heart out and say how important it is to protect our environment," he mentioned.

Cloud Nine, an occasion planning company, also deflected responsibility in a statement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor embellished the boat and left. We embellished the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we always do. We are by no means in charge of removing balloon decorations," the assertion learn partially.

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

"I was fairly upset about it, that is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I used to be here when they had been setting them up and then initially I didn't really assume a lot of it but I assume as the day was executed and they began popping away and letting all of them go into the water I used to be shocked."

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

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys serious, is this one thing you are going to do proper now?' [They] type 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 could be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to inside harm, starvation, and loss of life.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.