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

A man has been arrested after cellphone video captured what appeared 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 group who says they "satisfaction ourselves on defending and spreading consciousness on the gorgeous waters we get to name residence," 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 handed them and expressed our disagreement, we have been ignored they usually 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 experiences

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

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

“As a group, we share the accountability to protect the environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez mentioned in a statement. "I am extraordinarily pleased with our Unlawful Dumping Unit, for their 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 want to put my heart out and say how necessary it's to guard our environment," he stated.

Cloud 9, an occasion planning company, additionally deflected responsibility in a press release on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor adorned the boat and left. We embellished the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we all the time do. We are by no means answerable for eradicating balloon decorations," the assertion learn in part.

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

"I was pretty upset about it, this is our bay, that is our livelihood," Bruna said. "I used to be right here after they were setting them up and then initially I did not really think a lot of it but I suppose because the day was achieved and so they started 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 wedding proposal. Bruna said he confronted the people.

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys critical, is this one thing you're going to do proper now?' [They] sort of simply blew me off, ignored me," Bruna stated. "It was horrifying to see what they had been doing to the marine life and the waterways by simply dumping all of those balloons into the water."

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee said balloons can be mistaken for food by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can result in inside injury, hunger, and demise.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.