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

A person has been arrested after cellphone video captured what gave the impression 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 protecting and spreading awareness on the attractive waters we get to call home," was shot simply after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Touchdown 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 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 mentioned 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 environment.

“As a community, we share the accountability to guard the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in a statement. "I'm extremely happy with 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 could suggest to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram tales, saying he was not answerable for the balloon popping.

"First off, I need to put my heart out and say how important it is to guard the environment," he mentioned.

Cloud Nine, an event planning firm, additionally deflected responsibility in an announcement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor adorned the boat and left. We adorned the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we at all times do. We are by no means accountable for removing balloon decorations," the assertion learn in part.

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

"I was pretty upset about it, this is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna said. "I was here after they have been setting them up after which initially I didn't really think a lot of it but I suppose because the day was performed they usually started popping away and letting all of them go into the water I used to be shocked."

One witness mentioned the balloons may 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're going to do right now?' [They] sort of just blew me off, ignored me," Bruna stated. "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."

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission mentioned balloons may be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to inner injury, hunger, and death.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.