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

A person 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 close to a Coconut Grove marina on Tuesday.

The video posted by MMG Outboard Division, a group who says they "delight ourselves on protecting and spreading awareness on the beautiful waters we get to call dwelling," was shot just after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Landing 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 were ignored and they 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 boat popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola experiences

Miami-Dade Police mentioned Wednesday night time that they arrested one man and handed out nine civil citations.

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

“As a group, we share the responsibility to guard our environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in a statement. "I am extraordinarily proud of 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 may suggest to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram tales, saying he was not responsible for the balloon popping.

"First off, I need to put my heart out and say how essential it's to protect our surroundings," he stated.

Cloud Nine, an occasion planning firm, additionally deflected responsibility in an announcement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor decorated the boat and left. We embellished the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we at all times do. We're by no means accountable for removing balloon decorations," the assertion learn partly.

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

"I was pretty upset about it, this is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I was right here after they had been setting them up and then initially I didn't actually assume much of it but I suppose because the day was done and so they started popping away and letting all of them go into the water I used to be shocked."

One witness said the balloons could have been part of a wedding proposal. Bruna said he confronted the people.

"I discussed to them,' are you guys serious, is this something you're going to do proper now?' [They] type of just blew me off, ignored me," Bruna mentioned. "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."

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee stated balloons may be mistaken for food by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to inside harm, hunger, and loss of life.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.