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

A man 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 group who says they "pride ourselves on defending and spreading consciousness on the attractive waters we get to call dwelling," was shot just after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Landing 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 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 people on a ship popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola reviews

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

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

“As a neighborhood, we share the accountability to guard the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez mentioned in an announcement. "I am extremely pleased with our Illegal Dumping Unit, for their 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 stories, saying he was not liable for the balloon popping.

"First off, I wish to put my coronary heart out and say how vital it's to protect our environment," he stated.

Cloud Nine, an occasion planning company, also deflected accountability in a statement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor adorned the boat and left. We embellished the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we at all times do. We are by no means answerable for removing balloon decorations," the assertion read partly.

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

"I was fairly upset about it, that is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I used to be right here when they were setting them up after which initially I didn't actually assume much of it but I suppose as the day was completed they usually began 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 people.

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

Officers 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 inside damage, starvation, and dying.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.