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 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 group who says they "pleasure ourselves on defending and spreading awareness on the attractive waters we get to call dwelling," was shot just after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Touchdown 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 have been ignored and so they 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 people on a ship popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola studies

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

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

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

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

Cloud Nine, an event planning company, additionally deflected responsibility in a statement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor adorned the boat and left. We adorned the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we all the time do. We are by no means answerable for eradicating balloon decorations," the statement learn partly.

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

"I used to be pretty upset about it, that is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna stated. "I was right here once they were setting them up and then initially I didn't actually assume much of it however I suppose as the day was carried out and so they started popping away and letting them all go into the water I was shocked."

One witness mentioned the balloons could have been part of a marriage proposal. Bruna said he confronted the folks.

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys critical, is that this something you're going to do proper now?' [They] type of simply blew me off, ignored me," Bruna mentioned. "It was horrifying to see what they were 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 Commission stated balloons will be mistaken for food by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to inner damage, starvation, and loss of life.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.