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 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 bunch who says they "pleasure ourselves on protecting and spreading consciousness on the attractive waters we get to call house," was shot just after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Touchdown 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 they usually continued popping away with no care in the world," the group posted of their message.

Miami-Dade police have made an arrest after cellphone video surfaced of individuals on a boat popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola reports

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

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

“As a neighborhood, we share the responsibility to protect our surroundings," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez said in a press release. "I'm extraordinarily happy 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 might propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram tales, saying he was not answerable for the balloon popping.

"First off, I need to put my coronary heart out and say how vital it is to guard our surroundings," he said.

Cloud Nine, an event planning company, also deflected duty in an announcement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor embellished the boat and left. We decorated the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we always do. We are by no means in control of removing balloon decorations," the assertion read partially.

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

"I used to be pretty upset about it, this is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I was here after they have been setting them up and then initially I didn't actually assume a lot of it however I guess because the day was finished they usually began popping away and letting all of them go into the water I used to be 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 severe, is this something you're going to do proper 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 simply dumping all of these balloons into the water."

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission mentioned balloons might be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can result in inside damage, starvation, and loss of life.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.