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 near a Coconut Grove marina on Tuesday.

The video posted by MMG Outboard Division, a bunch who says they "pleasure ourselves on protecting and spreading awareness on the beautiful waters we get to call home," was shot simply after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Landing 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 were 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 reports

Miami-Dade Police stated Wednesday night time 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 setting.

“As a community, we share the responsibility to protect the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez mentioned in a statement. "I am extraordinarily proud of our Illegal 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 liable for the balloon popping.

"First off, I need to put my coronary heart out and say how necessary it's to protect the environment," he said.

Cloud Nine, an event planning firm, additionally deflected duty in a statement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor adorned the boat and left. We decorated the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we all the time do. We're by no means accountable for eradicating balloon decorations," the statement learn partially.

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

"I used to be fairly upset about it, that is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna said. "I was right here once they have been setting them up after which initially I didn't really think a lot of it however I suppose because the day was carried out and so they started popping away and letting all of them go into the water I used to be shocked."

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

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys severe, is that this one thing you're going to do proper now?' [They] sort of just 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 these balloons into the water."

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee mentioned balloons could be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to internal harm, starvation, and demise.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.