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 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 group who says they "delight ourselves on defending and spreading consciousness on the beautiful waters we get to name residence," was shot simply 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 handed them and expressed our disagreement, we had been ignored and they continued popping away with no care on this 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 studies

Miami-Dade Police said 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 environment.

“As a neighborhood, we share the accountability to protect our surroundings," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez said in a press release. "I am extremely 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 propose to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram stories, saying he was not liable for the balloon popping.

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

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

"Our balloon vendor adorned the boat and left. We decorated the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we all the time do. We are by no means in command of eradicating balloon decorations," the assertion 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 when they have been setting them up after which initially I didn't really suppose a lot of it but I suppose as the day was performed and they started popping away and letting them all go into the water I used to be shocked."

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

"I discussed to them,' are you guys severe, is that this one thing you're going to do proper now?' [They] form of simply blew me off, ignored me," Bruna stated. "It was horrifying to see what they were 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 stated balloons could be mistaken for food by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can lead to internal injury, starvation, and loss of life.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.