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 several 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 group who says they "pride ourselves on defending and spreading consciousness on the attractive waters we get to call dwelling," was shot simply after 4 p.m. at Bayshore Touchdown Marina.

Two individuals 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 in the world," the group posted in 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 mentioned Wednesday evening that they arrested one man and handed out nine civil citations.

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

“As a group, we share the responsibility to protect our environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez mentioned in an announcement. "I'm extremely 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 stories, saying he was not liable for the balloon popping.

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

Cloud 9, an occasion planning firm, additionally deflected duty in a press release on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor decorated the boat and left. We embellished the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we at all times do. We're never accountable for eradicating balloon decorations," the statement learn partially.

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

"I was pretty upset about it, that is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna stated. "I used to be right here once they have been setting them up and then initially I did not actually assume a lot of it however I assume because the day was carried out and so they started popping away and letting them all go into the water I used to be shocked."

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

"I discussed to them,' are you guys serious, is this something you're going to do proper now?' [They] kind 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."

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission stated balloons can be mistaken for food by sea turtles and other marine animals, and if eaten, can result in inner damage, hunger, and dying.

Balloon releases have been unlawful in Florida since 1989.