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 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 awareness on the attractive waters we get to call residence," was shot simply 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 passed them and expressed our disagreement, we had been ignored and they continued popping away with no care on the planet," the group posted in 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 stated Wednesday evening 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 atmosphere.

“As a neighborhood, we share the duty to guard our environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez said in a statement. "I'm extremely pleased with our Illegal 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 suggest 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 guard our environment," he mentioned.

Cloud Nine, an occasion planning company, also deflected responsibility in an announcement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor embellished 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 charge of eradicating balloon decorations," the assertion learn in part.

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

"I used to be pretty upset about it, this is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna stated. "I used to be right here when they have been setting them up after which initially I did not actually assume much of it but I suppose because the day was carried out and they started popping away and letting them all go into the water I was shocked."

One witness said the balloons may have been a part of a wedding proposal. Bruna mentioned he confronted the folks.

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys critical, is this something you're going to do right now?' [They] sort 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 Commission stated balloons might be mistaken for food by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to inside injury, hunger, and death.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.