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

A man has been arrested after cellphone video captured what appeared 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 "pride ourselves on protecting and spreading consciousness on the attractive waters we get to name dwelling," was shot simply 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 were ignored they usually continued popping away with no care on the earth," the group posted in their message.

Miami-Dade police have made an arrest after cellphone video surfaced of individuals on a ship 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 nine civil citations.

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

“As a community, we share the duty to protect our environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez said in a statement. "I am extremely happy 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 might propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram stories, saying he was not answerable for the balloon popping.

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

Cloud 9, an event planning company, also deflected duty in an announcement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor decorated the boat and left. We decorated the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we at all times do. We are by no means in command of removing balloon decorations," the assertion read in part.

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

"I was fairly upset about it, this is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I was right here after they were setting them up after which initially I didn't actually think a lot of it but I suppose because the day was accomplished and so they started popping away and letting all of them go into the water I used to be shocked."

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

"I discussed to them,' are you guys serious, is this something you're going to do proper now?' [They] sort of simply blew me off, ignored me," Bruna said. "It was horrifying to see what they were doing to the marine life and the waterways by simply dumping all of these balloons into the water."

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee said balloons might be mistaken for food by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can result in inner harm, starvation, and dying.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.