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

A person has been arrested after cellphone video captured what seemed 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 gaggle who says they "pleasure ourselves on defending and spreading consciousness on the beautiful waters we get to call 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 passed them and expressed our disagreement, we were ignored and so they 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 ship popping balloons into the ocean. NBC 6's Jamie Guirola reviews

Miami-Dade Police stated Wednesday evening 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 setting.

“As a group, we share the duty to protect our surroundings," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez said in an announcement. "I am 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 may suggest to his girlfriend, responded to the criticisms on his Instagram tales, saying he was not chargeable for the balloon popping.

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

Cloud 9, an occasion planning company, also deflected accountability in an announcement on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor adorned the boat and left. We adorned the pier, completed the proposal, and cleaned up like we always do. We are by no means in charge of removing balloon decorations," the assertion learn partially.

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

"I used to be fairly upset about it, that is our bay, this is our livelihood," Bruna mentioned. "I used to be right here when they were setting them up and then initially I did not actually think a lot of it however I guess as the day was achieved and so they began popping away and letting all of them go into the water I was shocked."

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

"I mentioned to them,' are you guys serious, is that this something 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 simply dumping all of these balloons into the water."

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

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.