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

A person 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 bunch who says they "delight ourselves on defending and spreading awareness on the attractive waters we get to call house," 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 were ignored and they 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 boat popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola experiences

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

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

“As a community, we share the responsibility to guard our environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez mentioned in a statement. "I'm extraordinarily proud of 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 propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram stories, saying he was not chargeable for the balloon popping.

"First off, I wish to put my coronary heart out and say how essential it's to guard the environment," he said.

Cloud Nine, an occasion planning company, additionally deflected duty in a statement on Instagram.

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

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

"I used to be fairly upset about it, this is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna said. "I used to be right here once they were setting them up after which initially I did not actually think much of it but I guess as the day was achieved and they started popping away and letting all of them go into the water I was shocked."

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

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys critical, is that this something you are going to do proper now?' [They] type of simply blew me off, ignored me," Bruna mentioned. "It was horrifying to see what they have been doing to the marine life and the waterways by just dumping all of those 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 inside injury, hunger, and demise.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.