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 a number of 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 group who says they "pleasure ourselves on protecting and spreading awareness on the attractive waters we get to name residence," 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 they usually continued popping away with no care on the earth," the group posted of 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 experiences

Miami-Dade Police said Wednesday night that they arrested one man and handed out 9 civil citations.

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

“As a neighborhood, we share the accountability to guard our surroundings," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez mentioned in an announcement. "I am 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 might propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram stories, saying he was not accountable for the balloon popping.

"First off, I need to put my coronary heart out and say how vital it is to protect our environment," he said.

Cloud 9, an occasion planning company, additionally deflected responsibility in an announcement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor decorated the boat and left. We decorated the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we at all times do. We're by no means in charge of removing balloon decorations," the assertion learn partially.

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

"I used to be pretty upset about it, this is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna stated. "I was here once they were setting them up and then initially I didn't actually think much of it but I guess as the day was completed and they started popping away and letting all of them go into the water I was shocked."

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

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys serious, is this something you are going to do proper now?' [They] sort 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."

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee mentioned balloons can be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to internal damage, hunger, and dying.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.