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 "pride ourselves on defending and spreading consciousness on the gorgeous waters we get to call home," 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 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 reviews

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

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

“As a community, we share the accountability to guard our environment," Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez stated in an announcement. "I am extremely pleased with 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 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 want to put my heart out and say how important it is to protect our environment," he said.

Cloud Nine, an event planning company, additionally deflected duty in a press release on Instagram.

"Our balloon vendor adorned the boat and left. We adorned the pier, finished the proposal, and cleaned up like we all the time do. We're never in control of removing balloon decorations," the assertion learn in part.

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 stated. "I was here after they had been setting them up and then initially I didn't actually suppose much of it however I suppose as the day was performed they usually started 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 wedding proposal. Bruna stated he confronted the individuals.

"I discussed to them,' are you guys critical, is that this something you are going to do right now?' [They] form of simply blew me off, ignored me," Bruna stated. "It was horrifying to see what they have been doing to the marine life and the waterways by just dumping all of these balloons into the water."

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee said balloons could be mistaken for meals by sea turtles and different marine animals, and if eaten, can result in internal damage, hunger, and loss of life.

Balloon releases have been illegal in Florida since 1989.