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 near a Coconut Grove marina on Tuesday.

The video posted by MMG Outboard Division, a bunch who says they "delight ourselves on defending and spreading awareness on the attractive waters we get to call residence," 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 have been ignored they usually continued popping away with no care on this planet," the group posted of 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 mentioned 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 surroundings.

“As a group, we share the accountability to guard our surroundings," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in an announcement. "I'm extremely pleased 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 propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram tales, saying he was not chargeable for the balloon popping.

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

Cloud Nine, an event planning firm, also deflected accountability in a statement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor decorated the boat and left. We embellished the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we all the time do. We're by no means in command of eradicating balloon decorations," the statement learn partially.

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

"I was fairly upset about it, that is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna stated. "I was right here once they had been setting them up after which initially I did not really think a lot of it however I assume because the day was completed and so they began popping away and letting all of them go into the water I was shocked."

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

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys serious, is this something you're going to do proper now?' [They] kind 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 said balloons could be mistaken for food by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can result in internal injury, starvation, and demise.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.