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

A person has been arrested after cellphone video captured what seemed 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 bunch who says they "pleasure ourselves on protecting and spreading consciousness on the attractive waters we get to call dwelling," was shot just after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Touchdown Marina.

Two individuals onboard the boat are seen popping balloons and letting them fall into the water.

"As we passed them and expressed our disagreement, we had been ignored and so they continued popping away with no care on the earth," the group posted in 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 time that they arrested one man and handed out 9 civil citations.

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

“As a neighborhood, 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 their 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 tales, saying he was not responsible for the balloon popping.

"First off, I want to put my heart out and say how essential it is to protect our surroundings," he mentioned.

Cloud Nine, an occasion planning firm, also deflected responsibility in a statement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor embellished the boat and left. We decorated the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we all the time do. We're never in command of eradicating balloon decorations," the statement learn in part.

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

"I was fairly upset about it, this is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna said. "I used to be here once they had been setting them up and then initially I did not really think much of it but I assume because the day was achieved and so they started popping away and letting all of them go into the water I was shocked."

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

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys critical, 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 had been doing to the marine life and the waterways by just dumping all of these balloons into the water."

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said balloons can be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can result in inside harm, hunger, and dying.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.